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Book C__ 



i'i;i-;si.nti-:d by 



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Glimpses 

OF 

SUNSHINE QQd ShjADE 

IN THE 

- pAR NORTh| 

OR 

MY TF^AVEfcS IN THE LfiND 

OF THE 

MIDNIGHT SUN. 



BY 

LULU ALICE CRAIG 



CINCINNATI, 

THE EDITOR PUBLISHING CO. 

—1900.— 



.as 



Copyrighted 
THE EDITOR PUBLISHING CO. 

1900 



JUL 24 



2- 
\ 



s 



GLIMPSES OF SUNSHINE AND SHADE 
IN THE FAR NORTH. 



CONTENTS 



The Start ----- 

From Seattle to Dyea - 

Our Stay in Dyea and Sheep's Camp - 

Crossing the Chilcoot ... 

Our Stay in Lindermann - .. 

Our Trip Down the Chain of Rivers and Lakes 

My First Impression of Dawson City 

An Arctic Winter - 

The Spring - 

Dawson City - 

The Journey to the Mouth of the Yukon 

The Fifteen Days Anchored on Behring Sea 

From St. Michael to Dutch Harbor - 

The Ocean Voyage - 



Page 
1 
4 
14 
23 
30 
42 



90 

99 

106 

113 

120 



PREFACE. 



I have endeavored within this book to describe 
very accurately my travels to and from the Northland, 
as well as my stay in Dawson City, where I sojourned 
one year. 

In January of '98 I obtained a leave of absence from 
the School Board of Saint Joseph, Missouri, to go into 
the Klondyke in company with my brother and his 
family. 

There were only four of us — Morte H. Craig, of 
Denver, Colorado, his wife and little daughter, Emily, 
who was only nine years of age, and myself ; there were 
a number of friends who went into the country at the 
same time. 

We were all in comparatively good health during 
the entire time, though the climate did not seem to agree 
with Mrs. Craig as it did with the rest of us. Little 
Emily gained in flesh and strength, and was delighted 
with the free open life she led. 

I took the trip at the suggestion of my mother, for 
an outing that would do me double service — giving me a 
rest from my school labors and widening my knowledge 
of the North of which I,like most others, had known but 
little previously. 



viii P RJ5 FA. G E 

To most every one the journey seemed long and peri- 
lous, and devoid of the pleasure contingent to travel. 
While the former was true in a measure, the latter was 
not, for much delight was experienced, though different 
from the usual conventionalized travel. 

In these pages I shall try and relate every phase of 
the life I led, giving an account of the trials and hard- 
ships, as well as the intense pleasure and interesting epi- 
sodes — though I encountered few of the first named, while 
many of the second I daily enjoyed. 

It must be borne in mind, however, that this book 
cannot be as replete with descriptions of wild experi- 
ences and thrilling narratives as it might otherwise have 
been had my journey been taken in the year prior to my 
departure. 

And not so many pages will be devoted to mining 
lore and the accumulation of gold, or the misfortune of 
not obtaining it, as to the geographical descriptions of 
the trip, and telling of the great pleasure derived from 
viewing nature, in a land that is favored with scenery 
which is classed among the grandest of the earth's do- 
main. 

As I write this little book, now and then there will 
be recalled to my mind scenes of sorrow, sickness and 
death, of which there have been so many in that far land 
of ice and snow, where a number of strong, stalwart 
men have succumbed to weakness — ofttimes to death — 
brought on from hard work and exposure, and their 
forms are "Lying in the Klondyke vale to-night." 



P BE FACE ix 

In giving these incidents, the pathos of it all may 
be little realized by the readers as it was by us who came 
in daily contact with them ; no more may the pleasing 
experiences be really felt, yet shall I try to so clearly 
and so graphically portray to you these pictures of de- 
light and woe, of joy and sorrow, that with the aid of 
your imagination you may have a rather good concep- 
tion of it all, and I hope I may succeed in this attempt. 

The trip gave me a wider experience and deeper 
knowledge than almost any other I might have taken — 
at least I came in touch more fully with nature, bereft 
of all art, codes and conventionalities, and herein I tell 
of these various scenes and happenings. 



sUXX^u£(^U^^ 




EMILY LYSLE CRAIG. 



Glimpses of Sunsh)ir)e and 
Sh)ade ir) th)e par North. 



The Start. 



THERE are many beautiful places in this world, 
most of which I have never seen. Indeed, 
prior to my trip north, I had never traveled 
except in the United States. 
But from reading and hearsay, I had formed some- 
thing of an idea of the many beauties of nature, scat- 
tered here and there, and almost everywhere, as the All 
Wise One has so generously and so equally distributed 
them. Yet perhaps nowhere could I have traveled, per- 
haps no where could I have looked upon grander exhibi- 
tion of God's handiwork than I did traveling to the land 
of gold, and sojourning in that far away country of ice 
and cold. 

I left my home in Saint Joseph January twenty- 
seventh and after four days of pleasant travel reached 
Seattle, where we spent several days in shopping pre- 
paratory to life in the country to which we were going. 
During our stay in Seattle we heard nothing talked 
of but the Klondyke. In stores, on the streets, in the 
corridors of the hotels, on the street cars, in restaurants, 
and everywhere the subject seemed all absorbing and 
inexhaustible. 

1 



2 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

Seattle has received a great benefit from the im- 
mense find of gold in the Klonkyke^ — it has steadily im- 
proved and commercial life has received an impetus from 
the very birth of the Klondyke which increased its 
wealth and population. It is a very nice little city, 
and, aside from the annoyance and inconvenience of its 
rains, it has a pleasant, beneficial climate. 

Lake Washington is a pretty sheet of water which 
gives much pleasure to the residents of Seattle, and is 
the pride of Seattleites, a-s well as an attraction to its 
tourists. Sixty miles south of Seattle may be seen Mt. 
Eanier lifting its lofty head in its hoary grandeur. We 
engaged passage on the "Queen of the Pacific" a large 
and well appointed vessel — the best on the waters, 
though we did not derive the comfort we had hoped for, 
on account of the Large list of passengers and immense 
cargo she bore. 

There were nearly one thousand passengers, three 
hundred dogs, a number of horses and donkeys besides 
a very large amount of freight. 

We were fortunate in securing the choicest of the 
state-rooms, and after all the preliminaries of stocking 
up in dry goods, groceries, medicines, et cetera, which 
was necessary in taking up life on the frontier, we sailed 
for Dyea, Alaska, on the morning of the fourth of Feb- 
ruary, 1898. 

There was such an immense crowd at the wharf 
that it was difficult to push one's way. Men rushing to 
and fro heavily laden with freight ; and such a hub-bub 
of voices, a veritable Babel it seemed, as friendly adieus 
were mingled with the orders of men to those in their 
charge, and rain only added aggravation to the scene. 

At one time we found ourselves imperiled between 
a kicking donkey and barking dogs, surrounded by 



IN THE FAB NORTH 3 

people, many of whose faces were angry and disturbed 
at the jostling of this motley throng, while we on the 
contrary were much amused and could not repress the 
merriment thus provoked. But indeed our humorous 
feelings were not the only emotional ones I assure you, 
for we were fearful that one of us would fall a victim to 
either the dogs or the donkey. Yet our humor predomi- 
nated, and so it was throughout the trip; though terribly 
homesick and irrepressibly sad at times, annoyed by 
some worries, and burdened by a few trials, imperiled 
on both land and sea, still the beautiful scenery the 
novel life, the pleasant episodes, and the interesting 
people whom we met, all tended to make us enjoy the 
wonderful trip into the interior of Alaska. 

After much patience we were glad to at last reach 
our state-rooms laden with the fruit and china and sun- 
dry other parcels we feared to trust to the luggage, as 
little care could be given to so large an amount of cargo. 

As the ship loosened her moorings, and we again 
and again waved adieus to our friends, I realized 
that we were turning our backs upon civilization and 
leaving behind those nearest and dearest; that we were 
going into an almost unknown, untried country, I can- 
not describe the loneliness that crept over me and which 
was doubtless increased by the dark, dreary day and 
drizzling rain. Turning, I left the deck and went into 
the salon to read the dear, home letters, which were 
handed to me just as I left the hotel, and which would 
be the last news from home for some time. 

After reading my letters I soon became interested 
in the journey and watching the people on board the 
ship. Ere long my spirits regained their natural buoy- 
ancy, and the gloomy, sad feelings were lost in the in- 
tense interest I had in this grand and wonderful trip to 
the interior of Alaska. 



Fron) Seattle to Dyea. 



1 regret that the great pleasure I had anticipated of 
viewing the much-talked-of scenery was marred by 
the clouds, and foggy weather that attended us dur- 
ing the greater part of our voyage. It snowed or 
rained much of the time and the sun shone but little. 
Yet during the short periods of sunshine, remarkably 
beautiful scenery was disclosed to our eyes and we were 
delighted with the splendid views. Had we had bright 
weather, one continual panorama of beautiful scenery 
would have been unfolded to our eyes throughout the 
entire distance. 

This route, which is a distance of over a thousand 
miles, is almost entirely through narrow channels with 
high mountains on either side, which prevent the open 
ocean from reaching the mariner and is called "The Inland 
Voyage." And were it not for an occasional glimpse of 
the main waters of the Pacific, as we passed from the 
shelter of one island behind the high rocky shores of 
another, one would not realize that he was having an 
ocean voyage which is usually attended by some discom- 
forts of sea sickness. 

It is well named "The Tourist's Route" and is un- 
doubtedly the most popular one into the interior of 
Alaska. 

A couple of hours' sailing brought us to Tacoma, a 

city of forty thousand inhabitants and second in size 

and importance in the State of Washington. From here 

Mt. Ranier may again be seen only thirty miles distant. 

4 



ZiV THE FAB NOBTH 5 

In Tacoma I am told it is never referred to as Mt. Ranier 
but as Mt. Tacoma. From this one can readily see the 
rivalry which exists between the two cities of Puget 
Sound. 

Soon again we were steaming along and the next 
morning we reached Victoria where we stopped for an 
hour or more and were given an opportunity to see an 
English City, as its inhabitants and buildings with their 
environments plainly stamped it. 

When we were again under sail we felt that we 
were really started on our journey to Alaska. 

Our progress was somewhat impeded by the dense 
fog, every now and then we would stop, and at times the 
foghorn could be heard continually blowing for some 
minutes, especially so during some of the nights. Dis- 
mal, indeed, it sounded when we realized that we were 
anchored out at sea, enveloped in an awful darkness, 
and lonely and weird were its echoes, as they were 
clearly brought back to us. 

Though we had the pleasure of the sun shining 
brightly but little, yet the more was it appreciated when 
it came. 

I will quote one page from my diary and so more 
clearly impress you with the pleasure I enjoyed : "What 
a fascinating picture to stand on deck and watch the 
dashing, foamy waves sparkle and gleam in the bright 
sunshine, the flying of the graceful sea gulls and the 
ducking of the little water-quails ever and anon, as they 
skim over the water ; the mountains dimly visible in the 
distance through the low overhanging clouds. To these 
pleasures of sight are added that charmingly delightful 
feeling which steals over one's senses as the steamship 
is propelled so smoothly over the quiet waters. Oh! 
how the heart wells with reverence and homage toward 



Q SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

the One who holdeth the seas in His hands as you stand 
full of admiration and gaze in rapture upon nature un- 
der such pleased conditions." 

On the morning of February seventh we saw a school 
of whales at a distance and there were also a number of 
porpoises quite near, racing with our ship. 

Our next day was the most eventful one of our voy- 
age. About five p. m. in passing through the narrows, 
we were stranded on a bar and so sudden were we 
thrown upon the mountain side that our ship began to 
list. The rudder unfortunately broke and the tide 
ebbed, so the ship continued to list until we stood at an 
angle of forty-two degrees. 

All this trouble was undoubtedly due to the fact 
that our captain, though an efficient one on a smaller 
vessel, had never carried so large a vessel through these 
troublesome narrows. 

So here we were stationed from five p. m. to twelve 
at night, seven hours of weary waiting during a snow 
storm. So much were we on the incline that the incom- 
ing tide brought in three feet of water, though it also 
aided the captain very materially in righting the ship. 
The steering apparatus having been repaired, we were 
backed out of these dangerous narrows into the open sea, 
and soon were again sailing smoothly. 

So what might have turned out very seriously end- 
ed all right but we were in a great deal of danger. The 
ship came very nearly turning over. All life boats were 
lowered. Had the ship been thrown over many would 
ha.ve been saved, but it is hardly likely that nearly one 
thousand could all have been saved, the night being so 
dark and stormy. 

While we were so dangerously situated another ac- 
cident occurred — the linen room caught fire, but the 



IN THE FAB NORTH 7 

matter was wisely kept quiet, many not knowing of it 
until the next day and so we were saved a panic which 
probably would have occurred had the cry "Ship on 
fire" been heard. 

We who were in the salon had a great deal of fun 
watching those who would move about and who were one 
after another precipitated to the floor. Many a laugh 
we had and much merriment was enjoyed as we would 
see one start to help another only to fall himself, and 
several times there were three or four on the floor to- 
gether struggling to get on their feet. 

One old lady who was quite large and must have 
been near sixty-five years of age, was quite amusing. 
She would insist upon moving about, changing her seat 
from one place to another, probably from a feeling 
of restlessness occasioned by the long period of waiting. 

At one time she started to rise several times, but in- 
effectually. At last with an unusual effort, she got 
upon her feet and with an awful crash she came down to 
the floor. Had it hurt her we would have quelled the 
jollity that arose, but she laughed with the rest of us. 
A gentleman arose to assist her but quickly found him- 
self stretched upon the floor by her side. Another 
one tried with the same result, but by repeated 
efforts the gentlemen regained their footing and at last 
succeeded in getting her seated, but just as they let her 
go, she again slipped down and this time refused to be 
assisted, and wisely remained on the floor amidst much 
laughter in which she merrily joined. 

Another most amusing thing was the comical 
actions of a little Jewess who was very anxious to cater 
to the inner man of her small son, as well as to herself. 
She let herself carefully down from her seat to the floor 
and then propelled herself along by crawling a few feet, 



8 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

then by sort of sliding or pushing herself by the aid of 
her hands until she reached the railing from where she 
could peer down into the dining hall. In the meantime 
she had sent her boy, Jacob, down to one of the waiters. 
Jacob had quite a time reaching him, pushing his way 
through the crowd that sat on the floor and steps, and 
falling, he landed in some woman's lap, who could not 
see the joke or why the others laughed. At last little 
Jacob reached one of the waiters to whom he was sent 
on the all important errand of getting two sandwiches, 
tut the waiter refused to take any notice of the child ; 
whereupon the little mother began to make frantic 
efforts in her broken English to be heard above the din 
of many voices and much laughter, and at last the wait- 
er was compelled to pay attention to her wild gesticula- 
tions and loud imprecations. And finally she was 
pleased to see her boy given two sandwiches, one of 
which he immediately began to eat, the other he careful- 
ly held, again making an effort to press his way 
through and reach his mother, which he succeeded 
in doing and gave her the little lunch he had procured. 

Many other amusing incidents might be related 
to show how much fun we on the inside had. But not 
so with those on the outside, many of whom really suf- 
fered with the cold and wetting they got, beside being 
in much more terror than we were, for they realized 
their danger bo much more. 

Our dinner which should have been served at five p. 
m., we hastily partook of at one a. m., after which 
we hurried to our state rooms, where we soon slept, and 
that which might have been a most thrilling night, long 
to be remembered, passed away without ending ser- 
iously. 

One of the most interesting places on this route is 



IN THE FAB NORTH 9 

Ft. Wrangle, a picturesque settlement, where there are a 
number of Indians and a few white people, though not 
so many as formerly in the early days of the great gold 
strikes in Alaska. 

The place was named Wrangle for Baron Wrangle, 
a Russian who was Governor in 1831. The Indians 
have a number of curios to show the tourist, which they 
make. Then here are erected the totem poles which are 
worshipped by the Indians. 

The Indians make a spoon of native silver and carve 
upon it the image of the totem poles ; they do this in 
your presence, while you wait if you have time to spare. 

Of the different confines of waters, which we passed 
through the two most dreaded were Seymour and 
Wrankle Narrows — the former are the most dangerous — 
yet the ledges of rock and boulders that extend across 
the distance of twenty-five miles that Wrangle Narrows 
measure, make the steering of a vessel successfully be- 
tween tides, through this narrow confine of water, much 
to be admired ; even though the surging of the waters 
are not so fierce as in Seymour Narrows, where the waters 
are greatly feared, particularly at the ebb and flow of the 
tide. The current is so strong and masterful that 
the strongest of ships are lost control of and sink under- 
neath the waves of these tempestuous waters. 

In 1875 one of the United States steamers was 
wrecked here. She was caught in the maelstrom of 
waters and dashed hither and thither in the wild nar- 
rows, but at last reached Vancouver Island safely, 
where the officers and crew were landed, though the ship 
was caught into the whirlpool again and went down. 
Many other vessels have been wrecked in these narrows. 

Shortly after passing through Seymour Narrows 
the most beautiful scenery is again seen. As we passed 



10 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

Queen Charlotte Sound the heavy swells of the ocean 
were felt, and a few were inconvenienced quite a little for 
about an hour with nausea attending sea-sickness. 

A little farther on, the waters lead through a pic- 
turesque route winding here and there through narrows 
with fir-covered mountains rising high on either side, 
mirrored in the waters underneath. So winding and in- 
tricate is this channel that some have named it "The 
Mystic Maze." These beauties of nature extend all 
along the route. 

But on the dark nights when the dense fog enveloped 
us, and continually the dismal sound of the fog-horn 
could be heard, when we were passing through narrows 
where oft before other ships had gone down, one needed 
faith in the One above to be at rest and enjoy slumber. 
As the day waned and twilight deepened, I felt thank- 
ful that I trusted in Him who "doeth all things well." 

Shortly before you come to Juneau several glaciers 
may be seen as they wind down the mountains, and they 
seem what they really are, frozen rivers winding down 
the mountain side. 

Within two miles of Juneau are the famous Tread- 
well Mines, the largest in the world. Columns of dense 
smoke could be seen arising from these great works, 
surrounding which are mountains, grown white with 
the timber bleached under the poisonous smoke that 
comes from the burning of that ore, which cannot be 
separated from the gold by batteries. The heavy, moist 
atmosphere will not allow this smoke to rise, but thus 
crowds it down, causing it to become very dense and 
more powerful to bleach the timber along the base and 
sides of the mountain. 

It is near here that the steamers have two ways 
from which to choose, one called the Chilcoot, the other 



IJST THE FAB NOBTR 11 

Chilcat. The former leads to the head waters of the 
Yukon and is the one we took, while the latter bears 
you to Chilcat, a small settlement from the left of which 
is the Dalton Route, a way by which the Yukon may be 
reached without the ascent of very high mountains, the 
inclines all being gradual. 

Ic is somewhere within this region that the existence 
of the silent city is said to be, and if there is a reality 
in it all, it is thought to be a mirage of a place in Eng- 
land, which is claimed to be Bristol, several thousand 
miles away. 

We arrived in Juneau at one a. m. February 9th 
where we remained until morning. We arose very early 
and went on shore ere it was daylight, and found the 
place well lighted. Juneau, in a commercial or mining 
sense, is a typical mining camp, but in the beauty of its 
location outshines most others. Right in the midst of 
mountains, great boulders form its background and 
overhang this little hamlet which gives it a very 
picturesque appearance. The evils of life are said to 
run riot here much the same as in all mining towns. 
Later we found Skagway and Dyea the same sort of 
places, only that Juneau was favored with so much more 
of the beauty of nature. Yet the scenery of Juneau is 
wierd withal, though beautiful. In fact all the scenery 
of Alaska and the North West Territory has something 
of this wild weirdness ; especially does this seem to be 
the case in winter, when the mountains are robed in 
their pure, cold mantle of snowy whiteness. Summer 
with her becoming garb of green, her running waters 
with their swimming fish, her gay, bright flowers and 
singing birds, seems to chase away this weirdness; and 
the awe of reverence that one has for great and majestic 
mountains, rising in their icy grandeur in the cold win- 



12 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

ter, gives way to a warmer, gentler feeling of admiration, 
that developes into a positive love for nature under the 
rays of the bright sun, which shines so grandly in a sky 
as beautifully colored and delicately tinted as can 
be seen anywhere. Grander sunsets cannot be im- 
agined than those seen en route from Seattle to 
Dyea and others all along the way down the chain of 
rivers and lakes until it seemed to me the climax was 
reached in Dawson this spring, when upon two evenings 
in particular we were awed into an admiring silence by 
the most beautiful ones I had ever seen, of which I will 
write later. 

Our voyage lasted between five and six days and at 
five p. m. on February ninth we arrived at Skagway 
after a rather fair sail, though a somewhat perilous one, 
considering the listing of the ship, the fire in the linen 
room, and the dense fog with which we were enveloped 
a great portion of the the time. 

We remained on board the "Queen" until two p. m. 
the following day awaiting a suitable vessel in which to 
be taken to Dyea, as the wind was too swift and the 
waves too strong to allow the large "Queen" to land in 
the Dyea Bay. 

We were conveyed over to Dyea in a little tug a part 
of the way, then transferred to a smaller skiff. In get- 
ting into the tug we had to descend a very steep ladder 
by the assistance of the men. 

From this time on we saw a great many men and 
very few women. Day after day we were constantly 
thrown with men of all nationalities and all classes — 
men of all professions and of all trades — men of culture 
and education, as well as those of the ignorant, unre- 
fined classes — men of baser natures, whose faces only 
too plainly told the tale of their evil lives. Yet by one 



IN THE FAB NORTH 13 

and all were we most courteously treated and to all 
with whom we found it necessary to mingle, did we 
endeavor to give the kindly greeting that good breeding 
would always urge one to do, no matter to what class or 
station of life he might belong. 

It is this interchange of the graces within us, this 
flow of human sympathy, surging from heart to heart, 
that forms a part of the broadening of one's nature, 
which comes more from travel than from any other con- 
dition of life. 

One loses one's identity, as it were, in traveling, 
and a stranger in a strange land often finds himself 
yielding to the gentler, softer impulses within him, and 
he reaches out a hand to aid his brother or give a sym- 
pathizing word more often than when settled at home, 
busily going through the daily routine of life whether 
pleasures or duties. But to resume my narrative. I will 
in the next chapter tell of the days spent in Dyea. 




Our Stay ir> DyeaaQd Sheep's Gamp. 



WE remained at Dyea nearly six days awaiting 
our luggage and freight, where we had com- 
fortable quarters in one of the hotels, and 
very good meals. 
The freight quarters at Dyea, which were situated 
right on the beach were very crowded and densely 
packed. The luggage was piled high into the air and 
there was much scrambling after one's effects. Keen 
hunting and some hard physical labor had to be done ere 
the men could obtain their bags. Each of our party had 
a large canvas bag for our personal clothing, beside 
which we took in just one trunk that carried all of our 
best things. Through the advice of others we took in a 
a great deal more and heavier clothing than we had need 
of. The men of course found it necessary to be more 
heavily clad and more warmly wrapped, as they were out 
for hours working hard in various ways. But during the 
entire winter I seldom needed to be dressed far from my 
usual custom, though I walked out every day. The 
greatest difference in our dress was the flannels and foot- 
wear. I wore the heaviest of jersey for the former and 
German socks and moccasins were required over the or- 
dinary hose for the latter, during the coldest weather. 

The six days that we spent at Dyea were novel ones 
indeed, and much enjoyed, though we were somewhat 
impatient to move on. Dyea was an example of what 
might be called a mush-room town, so quickly had it 
sprung into existence. We overheard some talk about 
14 



IN THE FAB NOBTH 15 

the wickedness of the place — that one could scarcely step 
out upon the street without hearing an oath. In fact, 
the minister made a similar statement in his pulpit the 
Sunday morning that I attended services in the humble, 
neat house of worship. Yet we ourselves heard no oaths 
in the streets of Dyea, and in this we were particularly 
fortunate during our entire trip, and heard very little 
coarse language used. 

In our walks through Dyea we saw some Indians, 
Malamute andHuskey dog teams, and other interesting 
sights of which Mrs. Craig took pictures with the small 
kodak she brought. 

The United States soldiers sent in by Congress were 
encamped here at this time. Here for the first time we 
saw men make beasts of burden of themselves, and 
strange it seemed to see great heavy packs strapped up- 
on their backs, heavier and more bulky ones placed 
upon one of the Yukon sleds, until it required every 
nerve strained, every bit of strength to move id. 

The trail over the Chilcoot starts at the point where 
the Dyea waters empty into the sea and follows it very 
closely to its source. From the Dyea shore all along the 
way over the pass this trail was much crowded with men, 
dogs, a few horses and an immense amount of freight 
goods were cached every short distance. 

One thing very noticeable was the men starting out 
so fresh and hopeful, with their canvas bags white in 
their newness, and with an almost defiant look of cour- 
age in their faces, to be seen in a few days or weeks 
worn out, outfits looking badly dilapidated — the bright, 
hopeful buoyancy gone to be succeeded by a downcast, 
discouraged air. I refer to those who did their own 
packing — it was no easy task to pack a thousand pounds 
over thirty-five or more miles and could not be done very 
quickly. 



16 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

While we were at Dyea a man had stolen a little 
from one cache and a little trom another, here and there, 
and the vigilant committee took him in charge and plac- 
arded him with the word "thief" and marched him 
through the place — after which they gave him bodily 
punishment. 

On the morning of the fifteenth of February our 
freight and luggage were packed in wagons and taken 
to Sheep's Camp. We could have ridden, but the day 
seemed pleasant and we thought we would enjoy the 
walk. So about noon we started to walk this distance of 
fourteen or more miles. 

The sun shone brightly and though the wind blew 
quite a little, we found the walk pleasant for a short 
time. Then the wind increased and as we got out quite 
a distance from Dyea we found a badly drifted trail; 
this together with the keen, strong wind that we faced 
made the walking very tedious, and with great effort our 
strength held out until we reached Canon City, nine 
miles from Dyea. 

At Finnegan's Point, five miles from Dyea, we had 
rested and refreshed ourselves with hot coffee and dough- 
nuts. 

We had hoped to reach Sheep's Camp that night and 
our bedding had been sent on there. At Canon City 
there were no accommodations for women, but thorough- 
ly worn out we were glad to find a seat indoors, while 
the gentlemen went out to find the best quarters the 
place afforded, which were poor indeed. But we had a 
good meal and after an uncomfortable night we arose 
early, breakfasted and resumed our journey to Sheep's 
Camp only six miles away. 

The day was pleasant and though we were a little 
stiff and sore from the exertions of the day before we en- 



I2T THE FAB NORTH 17 

joyed the walk, particularly that part that took us 
through the winding canon which was picturesque and 
pretty. 

On our way to Sheep's Camp we were overtaken by 
an ox-team, the owner of which lifted little Emily and 
placed her on the loaded wagon, which gave her quite a 
rest. 

There were so few children on the trail that our 
little girl attracted a great deal of attention and every 
one had a smile for her. One day a man said, "God 
bless you dear, you are just the size of my little girl at 
home," and tears sprang to his eyes as he pathetically 
spoke of his child. 

We reached our destination before noon and went to 
the Seattle House, which was kept by a gentleman and 
his wife who looked after the comforts of the guests and 
did all they could to be courteous and kind to them. 

We were given a large room in which were several 
beds built rudely of rough timbers. This was the only 
private room in the hotel and was given to our use alone. 
That night we had our own soft beds and warm blank- 
ets, and laid very comfortably compared to the night be- 
fore at Canon City, which was the only cold, uncomfort- 
able night that we had to endure on the entire trip. I 
will describe our beds that gave us so much comfort. 
They were made of the finest sateen-covered down com- 
forts — two above and two below — stitched together on 
the sides, and the center of the upper part was left open 
a short distance from the top, to enable one to get in 
and out more conveniently, and ribbons were sewed on 
either side of this opening to tie it up when the weather 
was severe, and thus keep out the cold, leaving the entire 
bed closed but the top. And when the weather made it 
necessary we, of course, had blankets to put over these 



18 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

beds, but the majority of the winter we did not need 
them. In the spring and summer we laid on top of our 
beds and did not get into them. 

We liked them much better than any we saw and 
there were a number of different kinds on sale in 
the stores in Seattle. Ours were made to order, and 
according to our own personal ideas. 

We were held at Sheet, s Camp for nearly two 
weeks by a blizzard. Most terrifically did the wind 
blow at sixty miles an hour, carrying fine particles 
of ice and snow in the air, which eut the face almost like 
glass. 

Most of this time the thermometer stood between 
six and fifteen degrees below zero. Even the packers 
abandoned all work, and daily the few who tried to be 
out any length of time, would come back with some por- 
tion frozen, an ear, cheek, nose or more often the feet, 
and one could stand but a moment out of doors until a 
heavy frost would fringe the eyelashes. The frost 
formed an inch thick or more in a few hours on the 
window-panes. Every thirty-six to forty-eight hours 
the weather would change, the wind decrease, and the 
packers would start out and try to reach the summit 
only to get as far as Stone House, one mile and a half 
from the hotel, there to be met with the terrible wind 
from the Summit which drove them back. We walked 
out every day, and twice we reached Stone House, where 
the wind was so swift it fairly caught our breaths, and 
nearly took us off our feet, and if we went without our 
masks on the very windy cold days we returned with sore 
faces cut by the myriads of tiny pieces of snow and ice 
so swiftly borne through the air. 

We took these walks to gradually accustom our- 
selves to the cold and to the climbing, and I think we 



IN THE FAB NORTH 19 

endured that one extremely hard day's travel over 
ChilcootPass much better for the preceding walks. 

From February 10th to February 25th, there were a 
number of ships anchored out at sea near Skagway and 
Dyea held there by the strong wind, and there were 
nine at one time, and on the latter date our first mail 
got in. 

Sheep's Camp presented an odd appearance made 
up of so many little tents, all huddled so closely to- 
gether; so many men costumed and masked so queerly, 
some in very picturesque garments, others in very gro- 
tesque ones, all rushing hither and thither, and some 
calling out to their dog teams they were driving, made 
our walks quite interesting on the days the weather was 
such that many were out. 

Some of the tents had been pitched upon the snow 
after which heavy snow storms had come and the wind 
had drifted the snow over these tents and almost cov- 
ered them — in several instances the stove pipe was 
the only thing visible, but if one entered the small open- 
ing in the snow and walked on a few steps he would soon 
come to a warm and comfortable Arctic home, lighted 
by candles where one or more men were seemingly en- 
joying life, or at least, getting the best they could out 
of it under the circumstances. We always went out well 
wrapped and wore fur hoods and we found the weather 
during this blizzard more severe to endure than any we 
afterward experienced farther in the interior, where the 
thermometer registered between fifty and sixty below 
zero. 

The wind coming down the mountain from the sum- 
mit of Chilcoot at times rages terribly and is much 
dreaded when the thermometer stands between ten and 
fifteen below zero. 



20 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

There were days during February and March when 
no one would dare risk going over the Summit. I heard 
a number say that no living creature could live in one of 
these blizzards on top of the summit of Chilcoot exposed 
to the weather. 

One morning several ascended as far as The Scales 
and a couple of the packers gained the summit. The 
thermometer jumped from four below to eighteen above 
— then it grew warmer and thirty above was registered, 
and at last forty above was reached, so you may imag- 
ine how warm it was. 

On February 27th my brother and Mr. B. went over 
the Chilcoot to Lindermann to pitch tent and prepare a 
place for us. 

While at Sheep's Camp there was one death at the 
hotel. A strong young man hastily stricken down. He 
came in after a day's hard work and had a severe chill. 
After several day's sickness he died — it was thought he 
had eaten something poisonous in canned meat. He 
was a member of a lodge, who cared for him well, and 
neatly laid him out in a pine coffin covered with white 
cloth. After a short and impressive service the body 
was taken in charge by the lodge, who shipped it to his 
family in Seattle. 

I will not forget that service. Mrs. Craig and I 
were the only women in the house save the proprietor's 
wife who was sick, and we were asked to lead with the 
singing which we gladly did. 

In retrospect I clearly see that scene — the large, 
plain room in the rudely built house — dimly lighted by 
one lamp. A big stove in the center, surrounded by 
men, many of whom were rough by nature, yet from 
whose faces shown the tender, human sympathy be- 
stirred for the dear loved ones of this man, who had 



llf THE FAB NOBTH 21 

been compelled to yield up his life so suddenly in this 
strange, new country so far away from his home. In 
the midst of this well filled room, stood the rude, plain 
coffin that held the remains. 

One of the leading men of the lodge read a chapter 
from the Bible — several songs were sung — and the short 
service was over. 

Hearing the matter discussed afterward we learned 
this young man was well liked, and though a stranger 
to almost every one, had impressed one and all with his 
sterling qualities of mind and heart ; particularly was 
he bright and sunny in his disposition and courageous 
to a great degree. 

On Sunday evenings an interesting service of prayer 
and song was held at the hotel addressed by a young 
Canadian. His earnest words were well listened to. 

The day the boys went over to Lindermann to get 
the camp ready for us, we walked out with one of our 
friends to the two saw-mills in operation there, and 
found it quite interesting to watch the great rough logs 
sawed into nice boards, which were not finished 
smoothly, though they had ready sale at Sheep's Camp 
at that time. 

My brother returned late Monday evening and 
rested the next day and arranged everything prepara- 
tory for us to cross the Chilcoot the following day. 

A party of gentlemen left Seattle and came up on 
the "Queen" at the same time that we did, with whom 
my brother became intimate and while at Sheep's Camp 
we were thrown with them more or less. 

There were six in the party, and of various callings; 
two - brothers, lawyers, a bank clerk, and lumberman 
from Pennsylvania, a physician and druggist from 
Ontario. 



22 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

The latter was only twenty years of age, and at 
Sheep's Camp he contracted a severe cold, that bade fair 
to go to his lungs. It was very unwise for him to sleep 
in a tent, so he tried to get a comfortable place in the 
Seattle House — but there was none. So Mrs. Craig told 
the doctor to have him come into our room, where the 
beds were arranged with curtains similar to sleeping car 
accommodations. This he gladly did, and got over his 
cold. 

And this party of six men, with whom we had been 
thrown from the very first, crossed the Chilcoot next 
day with us, pitched tent near us in Lindermann, and we 
saw more or less of them the entire eighteen months 
that we were gone. 

They were pleasant, courteous, and Fred S., the 
young druggist, later became my brother's partner and 
seemed like one of our family. 





CROSSING THE CHILCOO'! 



Crossing Th)e Chilcoot. 



ON the morning of March 2nd, at nine o'clock 
we left the hotel at Sheep's Camp and began 
the ascent to Chilcoot Pass, which we crossed 
the afternoon of the same day. 

As we ascended this noted peak, again and again 
were we impressed with the hard labor of the men? 
horses and dogs. 

Touching indeed was it to watch the two last 
named, but when it came to seeing men make beasts of 
burden of themselves, terrible was the sight. It was 
hard to see young, able-bodied men toil up the incline 
heavily freighted, but to see weak, old, aye even feeble 
ones, ascending that steep mountain with forms almost 
bent double, then was it pathetic, heart-rending. 

On the preceding page is given a picture of one of 
the many cases that showed care and woe and weakness, 
either from sickness or age. This poor, old man sits 
weary and worn from the hours of labor of carrying the 
burden strapped on his back — in deep thought of the 
future and the hardships and privations it holds — the 
present is impressed upon him by his aches and fagged 
out body, and his strength has been taxed to its utmost. 
The past comes to him in a vision of home, with its 
dear ones, and the love, grown stronger as he has grown 
weaker, starts unbidden the tears to his eyes. He longs 
to turn back and yet he sits considering whether to re- 
turn to wife and family and give up the hope of win- 
ning the coveted gold which he may not obtain anyway, 
23 



24 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

or plod on through the difficulties that will beset him in 
an endeaver to win. 

My friend who took the picture well named it "Un- 
decided" and very strongly will it appeal to all, though 
you did not see the original. 

So I might go on and cite many other instances of 
weakness and ill- health. Often could we hear men 
groan aloud in their great fatigue — their faces wet with 
perspiration, and sometimes they would unwisely loosen 
their outside garment to cool off, thus placing themselves 
liable to take a heavy cold and endanger themselves to 
pneumonia. The trail on either side was terribly con- 
gested with freight, so much so it was hard to keep 
one's belonging to themselves, and things were lost and 
mixed a great deal. 

On the way from Sheep's Camp is an immense gla- 
cier, under which there is said to be a hot spring. 

It is near here that the awful flood of ninety-seven 
occurred deluging a number of camps, though but one 
unfortunate lost his life. He was overtaken with the 
great power of water just as he was dipping a bucket of 
water up preparatory to getting his breakfast. 

Though very, very tiresome we found the day most 
interesting, watching the men go up and down, the 
packers with their pack-trains of horses, and the dogs 
attached to the Yukon Sleds faithfully pulling. Ever 
and anon could be heard a merry shout — a school boy 
yell, and turning we would see men on their sleds, hav- 
ing deposited their loads and returning for others, rac- 
ing with each other down the steep incline with all the 
merriment and jolly fun that boys could possibly have 
had. And many a funny fall and comical tumble 
brought the smile to even the weak and fatigued. 

Indeed it was this combination of man and boy, 




INI)K('II)EI). 



IN THE FAB NORTH 25 

this mixture of work and play, that helped to keep up 
the courage of many. And the spectator was reminded 
of the old adage, "The man is but the boy grown," a 
number of times. 

We had waited for a pleasant day and we certainly 
were favored in the selection we made. The sun shone 
brightly and it was rather quiet until we reached Stone 
House — so named from a great pile of stone which bore 
the form of a house. To this point the walk was very 
pleasant, as it needed no great exertion to ascend this 
gradual incline. But here the wind increased and the 
ascent became so steep that going from Stone House to 
The Scales, in my opinion we found the hardest part of 
our journey. 

The incline was so precipitous, so smooth and slick 
from the large amount of travel and coasting down on 
sleds that it seemed impossible to keep one's footing and 
we were assisted up this part. 

Two of our friends got a large strong stick, and 
took hold of either end of it, urging me to grasp the cen- 
ter and lean heavily upon it. This I gratefully did and 
was thus helped up the steepest portion. 

Little Emily rode on a sled, drawn by a dog, from 
Sheep's Camp to the Scales and from there was borne 
on the shoulders of our friend, Dr. H., up the summit of 
Chilcoot Pass. 

The wind being so swift and the ascent so rapid, 
our progress was impeded, but we at last reached The 
Scales where we rested and lunched. I think that that 
day was the greatest effort of my life without exception, 
especially going from Stone House to The Scales. 

After our rest we resumed the ascent to the Summit, 
which the rest of the way was made by going up steps 
cut in the side of the mountain. 



26 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

We had read and heard more of this part of our 
journey than the preceding, and yet we were agreeably 
surprised to find it less tiring. There were between 
eleven hundred and twelve hundred steps cut in the 
snow by the constant walking of the packers. It seemed 
very much like climbing steep stairs or a step-ladder of 
great length. Of course one might feel a little nervous 
when the thought that he was one of a number of a long 
line, who were ascending this great incline and to falter 
or deviate a step was to trouble and annoy those behind. 
But this gave us little or no worry as we were followed 
by friends and any way though we might trouble, we 
would not annoy men in this, as we belonged to the 
weaker sex, and the majority of men are kind to women 
when it comes to physical exertion. 

After reaching the Summit we again rested and as 
we sat there easing tired nature and recuperating our 
strength, we feasted our eyes on the grand and beauti- 
ful scenery spread out before us. The grandeur of the 
lovely views I feel unable to impress you with. The 
surrounding mountains, far and near, majestically stood 
in their mantle of snow against the -background of the 
deep blue sky, and the brightness of the sunshine added 
brilliancy to the scene. 

It was very interesting to look down upon the long 
line of men bearing their burdens ascending on the 
right side, while to the left could be seen those descend- 
ing, and here again was the child part of the man 
pleased, though it needed the courage of man as well to 
fit one's self into the groove, which had been worn into 
the side of the mountain by those preceding, and rap- 
idly shoot down. It seemed a veritable "shoot the 
chute" sort of action, which was dangerous, for had 
either arm turned the least bit, as they rested on the 



IN THE FAB NORTH 27 

elbows, bearing the weight of the body, a serious dislo- 
cation if nothing more would have been the result. 

While my brother was looking up our things and 
attending to the paying of the duty we were invited in 
the little custom house by the officers and courteously 
treated by them. 

On the summit of Chilcoot waved the Canadian Flag, 
and when we started to descend to Lindermann, we 
turned our faces from the land of our birth for the first 
time, toward a new country of foreign government. 

So far we had had a very pleasant journey, as well 
as a very tiresome one, not an especially meny time, but 
now our fun began and a jolly good time we had de- 
scending the mountain to Lindermann where we expected 
to take up camp life in which we had had no experience. 
In spite of tired limbs and aching bodies we had a very 
jolly time. 

The first mountain was so very steep that we quickly 
declined a kind offer to ride, although later we en- 
joyed coasting down the less rapid descents. We first 
tried walking the very steep ones, but really we walked 
very little, we rather rolled, slid, and at one time pro- 
pelled ourselves with our hands and knees, backwardly 
making the descent, now and then slipping and rolling 
over and over until we came to a rough place to which 
we could catch and stop, and of course in all this 
there was a great deal of fun as we saw each other in 
the different comical positions and one would try to aid 
the other to rise only to fall himself. 

We reached Long Lake near six o'clock in the even- 
ing. Just before reaching the place one of our party 
drew the attention of the rest to a picture in the dis- 
tance, of a mountain, which although covered with the 
pure white snow, appeared golden in the setting sun, a 



28 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

bright significance of the gold for which so many had 
made this journey. 

After resting and eating our evening meal we 
walked the remaining distance to Lindermann in the 
bright light of a full moon, whose radiance seemed ex- 
ceptionally brilliant. 

To say that we enjoyed the walk is to lightly ex- 
press the delight we felt, wearied though we were, in go- 
ing over the mountain on so grand a night and our gaiety 
did not desert us until we reached Lindermann, which 
was all the more comical from the fact that we groaned 
one moment from sheer exhaustion, only to laugh the 
next in seeing one of the party rolling down hill, another 
starting to assist him to rise, only to fall, and still an- 
other until all of us would be down. 

We kept our spirits up a part of the time by singing 
comical songs. Once looking back I saw Mrs. Craig 
walking on uneven ground, causing her to limp, one 
foot walking on higher ground than the other and I sang 
out to her: "And one leg was shorter than it really 
ought to be," at which we both laughed and while laugh- 
ing down I slipped, so peal after peal of laughter rang 
out over the mountain and were re-echoed back to us. 

Now and then we would pass a tent, though there 
were very few from the Summit to Lindermann, and as 
our voices resounded in the clear night air, the men 
would come out, their attention attracted by a woman's 
voice, for there were very few women that had crossed 
the Chilcoot at that time. 

Once I fell and rolled almost into a tent, where I 
I heard the voices of men. I think I was more like a 
rubber ball than I ever had been before in my life, for T 
bounced up and away ere they got to the door and I was 
laughingly telling the others about it, when I heard one 



IN THE FAR NORTH 29 

of the men say: "It is quite a party, and there two 
women and a little girl among them." 

Just a little distance away from the others I fell 
at one time and mischievously thought I would lie there 
and make the rest think for a moment or so that I was 
hurt. In an instant I was missed and located a few steps 
ahead. My brother running toward me called out, 
"Lulu! oh Lulu," and then I heard him say : "Nell I 
believe she is hurt," and I broke to the laugh I could 
repress no longer; but when I saw I had alarmed my 
brother I did not try it again. 

But in these different little ways our courage was 
kept up. Humorous indeed and intensely interesting 
was the experience of that never-to-be-forgotten day, 
3ourneying from Sheep's Camp to Lindermann over the 
famous Chilcoot Pass. 

We reached our destination at nine-thirty p. m. 
where our tent was well warmed and lighted for us by 
Mr. B, who had kindly gone on before us to make the 
tent comfortable for the tired-out mountain wanderers. 

And after a hot drink of cocoa, we needed no coax- 
ing to give ourselves over into the arms of Morpheus. 




Our Stay in Lindermann. 



THE three months we spent at Lindermann 
were very interesting, particularly the last six 
weeks, and we enjoyed the novelty Of camp life, 
though we found the weather quite severe, and 
the winds, too, were trying, especially in March. We 
had a large tent with bedrooms partitioned off, which 
were well heated by a cooking and heating stove com- 
bined. We took in candles but also had a large coal oil 
lamp, which gave us much more pleasure in reading 
than the former. We had quite a few luxuries, which 
the ordinary camper had not; suah as china, silver, 
table-cloths, doilies and napkins in the way of 
table articles, and, besides a complete Yukon 
outfit in provisions, such as flour, beans, bacon, 
rice, oatmeal, all the dried fruits, vegetable-soups, 
canned meats, spices and vinegar; my brother took in 
cases of tomatoes, peas, oysters, corn, lemons, figs, 
hams, raisins, nuts, cheese, maple-sugar, et cetera, and 
while at Lindermann we had some fresh eggs and fresh 
meat, though later in the interior we were deprived of 
them some of the time. As a substitute for eggs we 
found that the crystalized eggs were very good, espec- 
ially in cakes and desserts. Then too, the condensed 
cream served us well for fresh cream, of which we could 
get non3. 

It could be whipped nicely and we enjoyed it over 
the desserts like lemon jelly. 

In the way of furniture we had a table, china press, 
30 



IN THE FAB JsTOTTH 31 

settee, book-case, stools and bedsteads, all made of lum- 
ber, whip-sawed from timber, which was so abundant. 
Our beds were very comfortable, the mattresses were 
formed of pine-boughs, and when they got a little 
flattened we had fresh ones brought, taking pains to lay 
them carefully after having dried them well. Over these 
boughs we laid our tarpaulin, then blankets, on top 
of which we placed our down beds. 

We led a very busy life with our domestic duties 
and reading, writing, walking and chatting with friends, 
who would drop in on us most any hour of the day. All 
conventionality was laid aside, and at all times our 
friends were welcome, but particularly on the stormy 
days, for a pleasant, social chat went far to make one 
forget the terrific roar of the blizzard. And oh! how the 
wind did howl some of those March and April days ! I 
could but think of these words : 

"Oh, you that are so strong and cold, 
Oh, blower! Are you young or old? 
Are you a beast of field and tree, 
Oh, wind ablowing all day long? 
Oh wind, that sings so loud a song." 

The windy days were very trying, especially after a 
heavy snow storm, as it drifted the snow so very deep in 
places, sometimes not only on the top of our tent but 
right around the door of it. 

During March the thermometer registered from ten 
below to twenty degrees above — in April from thirty to 
forty-five degrees above in the day, though at night 
it was much colder, running from six to ten degrees be- 
low. May was quite like April though a little warmer. 

The days were rather short the first of March, grad- 
ually lengthening until the first of April, when they 
grew longer more perceptibly and at the first of May the 
nights were only from ten p. m. to three a. m. 



32 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

We received mail every two to four weeks, but from 
this time on until we reached Dawson City, we paid from 
fifteen to twenty-five cents for each letter to a special 
courier. At first this was somewhat annoying, especially 
when one received from two to six letters at a time, but 
we soon became accustomed to it and were so glad to 
hear from home and friends that we got so we did not 
mind it. 

Now and then the gentlemen would go over the Pass 
to make some purchases in Dyea, where there were sev- 
eral small stores and one large one, and then they would 
bring our mail to us. 

We were warm and comfortable at all times tenting 
in Lindermann, though the weather was much more se- 
vere there than further in the interior on account of the 
winds. 

It was interesting during March and April to walk 
out and watch the going and coming of the men hauling 
freight, though in some cases pitiable — some packing 
themselves, others having dog, horse and goat teams — 
however there were few of the last two named. The 
mountain goats are said to work well, they eat less, will 
pull more and live longer than the dog. 

I often took long walks and though I would leave 
liome in the sunshine, sometimes ere I returned it would 
be snowing and blowing furiously and I would be al- 
most blinded and reach home quite fatigued, but I be- 
lieve walking out every day was a great benefit to me 
and acclimated me finely. 

We invited the young minister that we heard speak 
in Sheep's Camp to hold a song service on Sunday even- 
ings in our tent, which he did, and the service was much 
enjoyed. 

Sometimes we would go across the lake with my 




OUR TENT SURROUNDED BY TWELVE FEET OF SNOW. 



JJV THE FAB NOETH 33 

brother and friends, and while they would get their 
wood we would look around for spruce gum, and hunt a 
nice place to coast with little Emily, often all of us get- 
ting on the sled together, and shortly after be thrown 
into the deep snow that filled up a deep ravine, which 
only increased our fun. If it seemed cold the boys would 
build us a fire, by which we kept warm when we tired of 
exercising. 

During the first half of April it snowed a great deal 
and the wind blew terrifically. 

On the morning of April third an awful avalanche 
of snow came down between the Summit and Sheep's 
Camp, nearer the latter, and nearly seventy-five people 
were buried. This was a great shock to every one. Never 
had I been near so great a disaster. So many strong 
young men so suddenly killed, so many families bereft 
of loved ones, and deprived of being near their sons 
when death came, to administer the last kind act. Sev- 
eral women were buried in this snow slide. A friend of 
ours lay for four hours beneath it and was then dug out 
and resuscitated. He had mail for me in his possession 
at the time and I have the letter, which was from my 
father, and shall keep it as a relic of the snow-slide at 
Sheep's Camp in 1898. Less than a year before, the 
terrible flood to which I have previously referred, oc- 
curred near this place. 

There was a blizzard on near the middle of April, 
the wind was raging and the snow had continually come 
down for days. On the morning of April thirteenth, at 
six o'clock, our tent collapsed. The center ridge-pole 
broke under the weight of eight feet of snow, that had 
blown there during the night, and we miraculously es- 
caped from being buried alive. The first break made a 
cracking sound that awakened us, but the tent did not 



34 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

lower until the second break, which broke the pole and 
brought the tent, with its heavyweight of snow down, not 
entirely, however; giving us barely time to dress and 
snatch our wraps, when it all came down flat upon our 
beds. 

Still the stove and china-press kept a portion of it 
up on the other side and in one corner, and to this part 
we hastened and huddled together, sat and waited un- 
til my brother went out and aroused our friend, Fred, 
who arose and prepared for our coming into his tent. 

As we sat there in that comfortless place, soberly 
looking at one another I thought to myself "what would 
my family and friends say now if they could only see.us" 
— a desolate picture we made — but we had come out of 
it all right and as usual I saw the comical side and could 
not repress my laugh, though I felt none the less thank- 
ful and I freely admit that morning was one of the trials 
of our trip. 

Our friends soon had a nice warm place in which to 
invite us, tidied and made as respectable as possible — 
but when I tell you that the tent was eight by ten for 
six of us to occupy you will realize how crowded we 
were. 

But we made merry the time and place, as we 
cooked the breakfast on that stormy morning. 

We had been there but a short time when hearing 
some one call I looked out and saw one of our friends, 
Mr. $., pushing and shoving his way into our tent, call- 
ing loudly "Craig, Craig." I knew from his demon- 
strations that he thought we were all in there buried 
alive, and I called to him that we were safe. We after- 
ward laughed many times over it. That night the gen- 
tlemen slept in the bunk-house and gave their tent 
to us. 



IN THE FAB NORTH 35 

All night long the wind howled — we reclined in our 
dresses and did not disrobe. One of us got up every 
once in a while and made up the fire — the snow piled on 
the top of this tent some, but it being so much smaller, 
there was little or no danger of its coming down. 

Still we were a little uneasy and appreciated 
the thoughtfulness of a friend, who was sitting up with 
a sick man, that prompted him to come out every hour 
and clean our tent off with a broom. Re had said to my 
brother that as we felt uneasy he would keep the snow 
off as he had to be up all night anyway, and he urged 
my brother to take his rest. 

The next day it still blew and stormed and there 
could be nothing done to our tent. We had a great deal 
of annoyance one moment and fun the next, cooking 
and serving our meals in that little cramped place. 

The following morning brother and Fred went to 
the woods and got some strong green poles, and that af- 
ternoon near three, a number of friends joined brother, 
each with a shovel and began the arduous task of taking 
the snow off of our tent , and repitching it. They 
worked for two hours or more, then they raised the tent 
and soon we saw our humble little home ready for us. A 
good fire had warmed it and taken the dampness off so 
we bade our friends good-night and repaired to our own 
home, thanking them for their hospitality, to which they 
replied that it had been an advantage to them, and they 
had enjoyed it, particularly our cooking, they laughingly 
added. 

We were hours getting our bedding entirely dry, 
and our home re-arranged for our convenience and com- 
fort, and retired that night late. 

When the days were pleasant, the sun shone so 
brightly in the sky so deeply blue, with fleecy white 



36 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

clouds here and there and the wind was so completely 
allayed, that one almost forgot the howling, screeching 
blizzard of the previous days. And at night when it 
was calm, I loved to stand and gaze at the serene sky, 
which was made more beautiful by the graceful outlines 
of the snow-covered mountains, rising majestically in 
the near distance. 

The evening star seemed larger and more brilliant 
here than elsewhere, though that may have been imag- 
inary. During March the Aurora, that great search- 
light of the North, now and then appeared, more often 
in a white color, though at times breaking into colors 
that vied with the rainbow in brilliancy. 

From time to time late papers came, which brought 
the news of the impending war between the United 
States and Spain and on the twenty-eighth of April we 
received the news that war was declared. 

All of our friends were intensely interested and 
some talked of returning and joining the army and I 
think many of those on the trail would have done so but 
for the great expense they had had going into this 
country. 

The last of April the snow began to melt during 
the long pleasant days and in May the ice commenced to 
move out of the lake. We enjoyed walking oat of even- 
ings along the shore of the lake until we came 
to the canon where the torrent of water came with 
a rush and a roar on into the lake breaking up the 
ice, and returning we wandered through this lit- 
tle city of tents of twelve to fifteen thousand people, 
finding interest in reading the names on the tents which 
represented many if not all parts of the world. 

The first six weeks or more there was no sickness 
in Lindermann, though there was a great deal at 



IN THE FAR NORTH 37 

Sheep's Camp during the two weeks' stay there and it 
had increased daily. 

And about the middle of April a number sickened 
in Lindermann and from that time until the first of June 
there was a great deal of sickness and a number of 
deaths ; every few days a small procession could be seen 
wending its way to the little graveyard on the knoll 
nearby. 

Kind attention and every care was given to the un- 
fortunates who died in this strange, new country some 
of whom lay in an unnamed, unknown grave, for in 
a few cases no one knew them or anything about 
them. 

We were very careful in every way possible to ward 
off sickness. Always boiled the water which the physi- 
cians claimed was impure and caused the sickness. 

One case came under our attention that was quite 
pathetic. There were three partners, all of whom 
seemed in good health. But from the start one, the 
largest and strongest apparently, of the three, refused 
to work. He never said he was sick, or what ailed him 
but complained of being tired. The other two stood it 
for a while, but when he seemed well and ate heartily, 
they began to upraid him and finally they quarrelled 
and parted, the other two telling him they did not want 
him any longer and in a couple of days afterward he 
died alone in his tent — it was heart trouble. The pathos 
of this little affair brought tears to many eyes, and the 
partners of course felt badly, as they thought he was 
well and able to work. I think one might recall a most 
estimable moral from this — indeed two: "Judge not, " 
"Be charitable" — under any and all circumstances. 

We enjoyed the last of May and the forepart of 
June very much — then we had continual daylight — there 



38 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

was no night, only a dimness of the day, which might be 
termed a long twilight and lingering dawn combined. 
It seemed to me that day and night were veritably 
wedded — for the setting and the rising of the sun were 
almost together. 

The only disadvantage to all of this was not being 
able to sleep in so bright a light — but even in this there 
was a gain. 

A number of times near twelve p. m. I was awake 
and quietly putting on my slippers I would tip-toe across 
the floor, and pulling the curtains aside, I would look at 
the rising sun just peeping forth in all the beauty pos- 
sible. 

One morning in particular I recall, it seemed like a 
great red ball of fire, from which radiated a deep glow 
that gradually lessened as it distanced from the sun, un- 
til it passed from the rosy red to the delicate pink 
shades; then lighter it grew passing from the least pos- 
sible tint of pink into the very light blue of the sky, 
deepening into the most intense blue, and around and 
above all this floated the softest of pearly grey clouds 
intermingled with others of downy whiteness. 

Shivering I crept back into bed but left the curtains 
pulled a tiny bit apart, that I might lay and feast my eyes 
upon the great fair dawning of the day, which brought 
me thoughts akin to this grand and beautiful display of 
nature. 

The month of May was a busy one at Lindermann. 
Most of the men were busy whip-sawing their lumber 
and building their boats, of which there was six thous- 
and built there. Boats large and small, and of every 
conceivable shape, from the tiniest skiff to the largest 
barge or scow, and some even built rafts. 

We looked with interest upon the two saw-mills there 



IN THE FAR NORTH 39 

in operation, the numerous saw-pits of those whip-saw- 
ing their own lumber and the construction of the many 
boats. 

We began to get anxious to start down the rivers 
and lakes, yet we knew it was wise to wait until the ice 
was gone. Many started the last of May and the first 
few days of June, but a number of boats got jammed 
in the ice ; many outfits were lost, and a few were 
drowned. 

One morning, shortly after breakfast, we were 
standing on the lake shore, watching the different ves- 
sels afloat, when our attention was called to a smalt 
raft made of three ill shaped logs, on which a man 
stood, having his coat for a sail and nothing but a small 
mess sack as freight; and in this poor, unsafe way he 
was going to Dawson. Mrs. C. got in a boat and a 
friend rowed her within speaking distance of the man 
and she called out to him not to proceed in such a way 
so long a distance, but he replied that he would go to 
Dawson City and this was the only way in which he 
could go. Mrs. C. then took a snap shot of him and the 
next day we heard he had been drowned — poor fellow! 
lying in a watery grave from sheer recklessness. 

Another pleasant morning was darkened by the 
ravings of a mad man. I did not see the man but heard 
his wild talk clear to our tent, and afterwards heard one 
of the men say he was crazy and that the Mounted 
Police had taken him in charge. 

Numerous little sad incidents occurred such as these 
and pathetic indeed were our thoughts, when we saw 
the sick and the dying, the insane and the troubled, 
burdened in this strange, new country. 

The names of the boats were interesting. Many 
were named for dear ones at home, and others were com- 



40 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

ically called, "Yellow Garter," "Seven come Eleven,''' 
and so on. We named ours, "Old Glory." 

Decoration Day was fitly commemorated in appro- 
priate exercises, and the graves of the poor unfortu- 
nates, who had died during the Spring were decorated. 
This service was attended by the North West Mounted 
Police. The Union Jack and our dear old flag were 
crossed and held over each grave as the flowers were 
placed upon it. 

June third was Emily's birthday and upon that ev- 
ening we entertained our friends — the little birthday 
party serving as a sort of farewell fete as well, for in the 
following few days our friends began to leave, some 
having Dawson as their destination, and others going up 
the Stewart and elsewhere, and that little social hour 
was our last with these friends for months. That day 
we were very busy. After having prepared our refresh- 
ments, we arranged our tent in as much of a drawing- 
room as possible. 

We left the curtains up that draped off one of our 
bed-rooms, but the other we drew back and looped up, 
and the wolf robed couch made a convenient place to 
use as a receptacle for hats. The wooden settee we 
draped in a dark, brightly bordered blanket. 

We stretched a new tarpaulin upon the floor, and 
re-arranged the china-press, bookcase and seats placing 
them across the corners, and put the table back a little 
farther to make more room. Two of the gentlemen had 
rowed across the lake that morning to a pretty spot, 
where they found lots of wild flowers and had returned 
with their arms full. It took but a few moments to 
transform our northern home into a southern bower, 
apparently, as we placed the beautiful wild flowers in 
every conceivable place. But perhaps the prettiest thing 



IN THE FAB NOBTH 41 

in the room was the table on which was spread a cloth 
of snowy whiteness, and over this we placed a large 
doily, embroidered in roses typical of our June rose of 
ten summers. 

The roses were not in bloom, but we selected a 
pretty pink flower to lay in garlands around the birth- 
day cake upon which were placed ten lighted tapers. 
And when we had finished our task and were ready to 
see our friends, we felt repaid for the hours spent so 
busily. 

We had a most pleasant evening, and one we all will 
remember. 

The following week we were preparing to leave 
Lindermann, and on Monday, June thirteenth, we 
started on our journey to Dawson. 

We were glad indeed, to leave Lindermann and re- 
sume our way into the interior. Yet we left a number 
of good friends there, among whom were two of the 
North West Mounted Police — the sergeant and the cor- 
poral — very pleasant Englishmen of culture and refine- 
ment ; and we were turning our faces from home and 
going farther away from our dear ones, which made us 
sad. Withal though, we felt quite happy as we waved 
adieus to those on shore and sailed away from Linder- 
mann, where we had tented for over three months, the 
forepart of which was passed amidst the snow and ice 
and wind, and later on the charms of Spring had held 
us enraptured with an intense interest, watching the ice 
move out of the lake and each little flower uplift its 
head, opening its petals, under the rays of the sun. 



Our Trip Down the Chain of Rivers and 
La^es. 



THERE was just eleven on board the "Old 
Glory": our family and my brother's partner 
and four passengers, two of whom were friends. 
Then my brother had hired two men as carpen- 
ter and pilot, the latter representing himself to be an ex- 
perienced river man. 

Everything possible was arranged for our conven- 
ience. A little cabin had been built upon the barge for 
our use only, in which we slept. The men pitched tent 
on the evening that we tied up, and cooked for the fol- 
lowing day, we just having our own meals to prepare. 

We left Lindermann at one p. m., and in two hours 
reached the portage between Lindermann and Bennett. 
The rapids between these lakes are much dreaded by 
every one, many having built their boats in Bennett to 
avoid passing through them. 

No boat as large as our barge had even been taken 
through these rapids, and the cargo being very expen- 
sive, my brother decided to hire the expert pilots to 
take her through and they lined her down the following 
day. 

We expected the pilots near noon and shortly before 
that hour we left the barge and hastened over the por- 
tage to an eminence where we could view the boat, as 
she was lined through Lindermann Rapids. We soon 
reached the spot near the swiftest part and seated our- 
42 



IN THE FAB NORTH 43 

selves upon a rock. In a few moments the barge appear- 
ed with four men on board and three on either shore to 
aid in lining her down. The pilots succeeded nicely- 
passing all dangerous rocks, and after everyone thought 
the barge safely through, they carelessly allowed her to 
strike a rock, which made quite a hole in her. We had 
anxiously watched the "Old Glory" as she was lined 
through these treacherous waters, and felt quite reliev- 
ed when we saw she had passed the places upon which 
we feared she might be wrecked. We then turned and 
walked up and down the little incline to where we ex- 
pected her to land. 

We had walked but a short distance when we met a 
man who said — "Ladies I think they have knocked a 
hole in your barge, for they were throwing things out 
when I passed" and hurrying on we found his words too 
true. This of course delayed us in Bennett two days. 
My brother and his crew went to work and soon the 
barge was as good as new. Re-loading came next and 
on Thursday at five p. m., we resumed our journey to 
Dawson. 

We had sailed but a short distance, near twelve 
miles, when we encountered a head wind which caused 
us to go ashore , for rowing on so large and so heavily 
freighted a vessel made such slow progress that it seem- 
ed impracticable. 

Though we would not have cared to have remained 
here and delayed our journey too long, yet the two days 
we lingered in this pretty little spot were much enjoyed, 
and in delight we climbed the mountains and gathered 
the wild flowers. Picturesque indeed was the attrac- 
tive scenery that surrounded this little mountain place 
and when wearied from walking, we would get into one 
of the little row boats and, accompanied by one of the 



44 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

gentlemen, we would soon get refreshed on the quiet 
waters. The evening scene particularly impressed me, 
the mountains sloping directly down to the water's edge, 
were mirrored on the bosom of the lake — so calm were 
the waters that not even the tiniest ripple was seen only 
when our oars disturbed the surface; and over this quiet 
scene fell the clear rays of a brightly setting sun. Re^ 
luctantly did we retire on these evenings. 

Finally it was decided on the third day to start and 
row awhile; after several hours of rowing we found a 
nice spot near noon, where we landed for dinner. Soon 
after our family party left the barge and climbed the 
nearest mountain, leaving word with the men, if a favor- 
able wind should spring up, to leave one of the little 
boats for us and sail on. This was also one of the pret- 
tiest places that we snubbed in on the entire trip and on 
this mountain we found the dainty blue and white for- 
get-me-not and clumps of ferns of the maiden-hair spec- 
ies as well as lots of wild roses. And all along the route 
were all sorts of flowers ; butter-cups, daisies, sweet- 
peas, and a number of other kinds. 

Birds and fish abounded and sometimes it was hard 
to realize how far north we were when daily we were en- 
joying the pleasures of flowers and birds with the bright 
sunshine and beautiful scenery. 

The ptarmigan is a beautiful northern bird of 
snowy whiteness in the winter, though in the summer 
it turns a grayish mode. Another peculiarity of it is 
that its feet are protected by a thick white fur in the 
cold season, that in the spring it loses. The pretty 
plumage of the duck is dark mode and white — the 
former color of the rich leaden hues intermingled with 
darkest of greens, is over most of the body but the lat- 
ter is found on the breast. 



IJT THE FAB NORTH 45 

While we were busy picking a bouquet away up on the 
mountain side we noticed the wind had changed, and 
looking down at the barge we saw our crew making- 
ready to depart. We hurried down and got in the little 
boat, and as the wind from the south was so slight, 
my brother soon rowed ahead of the barge, and gained a 
pretty little island where we landed and awaited the 
barge. Soon she came sailing along and we were taken 
on board. 

The wind had increased, and we went rapidly spin- 
ning over the water and sailed all night, out of Lake 
Bennett, through Caribon Crossing, thence into Little 
Windy Arm. The latter we reached between three and 
four in the morning and right suddenly were we awak- 
ened, the clatter of the things falling around us, and the 
calling of the pilot on the outside of our cabin "Star- 
board" then "Port" followed by "Man the oars," made 
us know that we had come into Windy Arm and the 
waves tossed us wildly as we were rowed ashore, for it 
was too late to cross Big Windy until the following 
morning at two o'clock, that being the best hour to ride 
on these wind-tossed waves. And here we spent an 
interesting day, climbed a rather steep mountain on 
which there was a thick, scraggy growth of trees, as well 
as great, lofty ones. We found the trail up this incline 
quite fatiguing, but we felt amply repaid when we gain- 
ed the summit and had a fine view of the surrounding 
country and water over which we had passed, and also 
a good view of Big Windy. 

We could see three pretty little islands in the near 
distance and the middle one had the perfect form of a 
turtle. These islands are much feared by all who sail 
on this water, lest amidst the angry waves their boats 
should be thrown ashore on one of them. And then it 



46 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

might take days ere the wind and waves could be over- 
come and the boats again set sailing and if a very heavily 
freighted vessel was cast upon these shores it is possible 
that it would have to be abandoned. 

After resting and gazing upon this natural picture 
of land and water so splendidly spread before us, we 
walked down on the other side of the mountain and 
went close to the water, were we seated ourselves on a 
big rock to watch the play of wind and wave on this 
dreaded lake. As we looked upon these violent waters, 
dashing with great force up to our very feet, it seemed 
that the breakers of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, 
although larger, were no more powerful than these. This 
body of water is well named Big Windy. 

That evening we retired quite early and arose 
shortly after midnight, getting well started and on Big 
Windy before two a. m. 

Oh ! Our crew worked hard and all hands were 
kept busy to keep the wind and waves from driving us 
ashore on one of these islands. But we passed over the 
wild body of water very successfully, and snubbed in at 
a quiet little cove to rest from the strain we all felt and 
refresh ourselves with a breakfast, which we took more 
than ordinary pains in preparing. After which we were 
soon sailing toward Tagish Lake, which we reached 
near six p. m. 

We remained here more than an hour, awaiting the 
inspection of the custom officers. While we were at 
Tagish we saw four Indians under surveillance there at 
that time for murder of a white man. This crime had 
been committed only a short time before and for the 
motive of robbery. The Indians were all very young, 
fifteen, sixteen, nineteen, twenty -one years of age. 

An officer walked to and fro in front of their tent, 



IJV THE FAB NOBTH 47 

where they sat chained. They were bright, intelligent 
looking Indians and seemed capable of realizing the 
crime, for which they were imprisoned, although they 
carelessly smiled when questioned in regard to it. 

The custom officers were busy attending to the 
steamboat that landed just prior to us, which was the 
second steamboat to make this trip down the rivers and 
lakes to Dawson, one having sailed a few days pre- 
viously. 

"While awaiting our turn we walked around this 
government station which seemed so shaped and laid 
out to make an excellent little watering resort. Quite 
a pretty little place in the summer in the midst of shel- 
tering trees, but lonely indeed in the winter, we were 
told by those who wintered there. 

Near eight p. m. we left Tagish Station and sailed 
smoothly. It was a fine evening and for three hours we 
enjoyed the pleasure of sitting out on deck looking at 
the scenery. Gradually the snow-capped mountains 
that were distantly visible during the first part of our 
trip were disappearing and the days were quite warm, 
although the nights were very cool. That evening we 
passed a little Indian village and before we retired we 
were on Marsh Lake — sometimes called Mud Lake — and 
sailed all night. 

The next morning we passed into Sixty Mile River, 
a very pretty stream of water running through a pictur- 
esque part of the country. 

A heavy rain storm overtook us at three p. m. and 
we snubbed in until morning. 

The following day we enjoyed smooth sailing and 
most beautiful scenery and at four p. m. we landed a mile 
above Miles Canon. 

The next morning we left our barge near noon and 



48 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

hastened to an elevation, where we could see our boat 
go through the canon. She could not be lined through 
these waters of course. One man stood at the bow 
and another at the stern, and two men on either side at 
the oars. 

The entire freight was left on board and "Old Glory" 
most successfully went through both Miles Canon and 
White Horse Rapids. We had seen a large steamboat 
pass through the evening before, but she had struck a 
rock and made a small hole in her, so we were glad to 
see our barge so proudly borne through these noted 
waters. 

Miles Canon is grand ! On either side the great 
cliffs rise perpendicularly and are so formed by nature 
that they seem to be the work of man rather than of 
God, so very regular are the immense pillars that appear 
like columns of 'architecture, and the red, green and gray 
stone harmonizing in natural confusion, lends additional 
charm to these massive walls, at the foot of which the 
fierce waters raged. 

White Horse Rapids seem less dangerous to me than 
Miles Canon ; much wider and not bounded by high cliffs, 
although the waters plunge and roar madly over the 
rocks which throw the foaming, spraying waves high into 
the air. 

After watching a number of boats come through 
and having been joined by my brother, we walked quite 
a distance to where our barge was landed. We saw a 
number of Indians camped at White Horse and along 
the trail. 

The mosquitoes which had annoyed us some before 
were more numerous and irritated us quite a great deal 
here. 

As we walked along we saw a number whose boats 




OLD GLORY GOING THROUGH MILES CANON. 



IN THE FAB NORTH 49 

had gone to pieces, or been damaged in the canon or 
White Horse Rapids. They were drying outfits and re- 
pairing boats. 

After a five o'clock dinner we spent a pleasant 
evening and retired early. We started at eight a. m. 
and very shortly afterward got on a sandbar which 
caused our crew some labor and a good wetting but de- 
layed us only a few moments as they succeeded in push- 
ing us off very soon. 

This was a pleasant day of smooth sailing and fine 
views. We passed the Taceenah River and soon sailed 
into Lake Le Barge. In the afternoon we encountered 
heavy swells which made me a little dizzy. Toward 
evening we found a pleasant little place where we 
snubbed in. We spent a couple of days in this attrac- 
tive place waiting for a favorable wind. There was 
one advantage in being delayed as it gave us an oppor- 
tunity of exploring so much more of the country. Every 
where we stopped there was beautiful foliage and lovely 
flowers. And there is a great variety of lichens in the 
North. 

On the third day we started again, still sailing on 
Lake Le Barge. This lake is said to be subject to 
squalls, but we were favored with smooth sailing and 
pleasant weather. The next morning we sailed into 
Thirty Mile River which we dreaded very much on ac- 
count of the many rocks in it. Its entire bottom is said 
to be formed of rocks. Shortly after sailing into the 
river and rather early in the morning a sudden bend in 
the river brought a great rock into view, and had my 
brother been at the stern we would have been steered 
aright but he was in the cabin, having just finished break- 
fast. Stepping out on deck he saw the pilot was taking 
the wrong course and that we were in imminent danger- 



50 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

and springing to the bow he called to the pilot to turn in- 
to the left channel but it was too late. We were going 
very fast and the suction at this point was strong. Nev- 
er shall I forget the scene and my brother's voice calling 
out: "My God! We are going to strike the rock! All 
stand firm!" Then came the awful crash! Almost in- 
stantly one of the little boats was untied and in a mo- 
ment more Mrs. C, little Emily and I were seated in it 
being rowed to shore. The men succeeded in snubbing 
in the barge just as she was sinking, and nothing kept 
her from sinking sooner but the fact that all the flour 
was placed right over the great hole made by the rock 
and so tightly were the sacks packed that the water 
made slow progress in pressing its way in. 

The loss of freight was great but a large amount 
was saved by the quick action of not only our eight men, 
but eight others, who had struck the same rock and were 
camped near, repairing boats and drying outfits, and 
they kindly aided in unloading the barge. 

The hole the rock made in our boat was three feet, 
ten inches by four feet and a half, and seemed almost the 
entire end of the boat. Our barge was borne safely 
through Miles Canon and White Horse Rapids only to 
meet its doom on that cruel rock where so many had the 
misfortune of going to pieces. 

It took just four days to dry the fruit and provisions 
that were worth saving, repair the barge and re-load 
ready for sailing on this terrible river. During this time 
we saw a number of boats barely escape destruction on 
the same rock, and on the last day two boats were entire- 
ly destroyed, outfits lost and the occupants just escaped 
drowning. In one of these boats were two women who 
were saved by my brother and our party. One of them, 
a young German girl, was on the rock fully fifteen min- 



IN THE FAB NORTH 51 

utes calling for help before she could be rescued. All 
efforts were being made to save the other woman whom 
the current was fast bearing away, and when the men 
in a small boat had reached the latter, my brother 
reached out and caught her by her long hair, thus pull- 
ing her in. With some difficulty was the young girl 
reached ; in fact the boat could not be rowed very close 
to the rock upon which a part of the wreck had caught, 
and it was to this small portion of lumber the girl clung. 
A rope was thrown out to her by one of the men in the 
boat, and she slipped it over her head and tightened the 
slip-knot herself, after which they drew her into the 
boat. 

They were both brought to our tent and we resusci- 
tated and cared for them. That night they occupied 
our tent and we went aboard the barge into our cabin. 
They were strong, robust women, and the next morning 
they were all right and very thankful to us for having 
saved them. We were glad that all was ready to leave 
this place where our tent was in sight of that dreadful 
rock. At eight o'clock that morning we started, and 
had a trying day, sailing amidst the rocks of Thirty Mile. 

At one place a reef of rocks came far out into the 
water in cone shape and it seemed as though we surely 
would strike these, but managed to escape. In the even- 
ing we jeached the Houtalinqua, where we rested over 
night. 

Here we were assured by my brother and the N. W. 
M. P. and others, that we had nothing to fear now but 
sand-bara ; that we had passed all dangerous rocks. 

More than two hundred boats went to pieces during 
the summer on the same rock we struck. This last 
spring the Government had taken most of it out, by 
dredging partly, and partly by blasting. The following 



52 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

morning, after a night's refreshing rest, we left the po- 
lice station on the Houtalinqua and soon sailed into the 
Lewis River, on which we anjoyed smooth sailing. Near 
noon we reached the Big Salmon where we landed for a 
short time. There is quite an Indian village here and 
we found the walk through it very interesting. The In- 
dians are of the Chilcat tribe and wear rings in their 
noses. The men were intelligent looking and neatly 
dressed, while just the reverse could be said of the wom- 
en and children, though the former had evil looking 
faces, while the latter had a good kind expression, even 
though lacking intellectually. The Chief wanted to 
trade for little Emily and was so earnest about it that he 
followed us clear to our barge with his arms full of skins 
and we felt happier when we sailed away from the sta- 
tion. Of course my brother laughed at us and said there 
was no danger, but he admitted that the Chief was in 
earnest about the trade and we feared him, not knowing 
what he might dare after he was thwarted. 

It was about two p. m. when we left the Big Salmon 
and only sailed a couple of hours, snubbing in earlier 
than usual to have a sweep-oar made, as our stern oar 
had gotten partially broken in landing. The mosquitoes 
were terrible here, and|in fact from this place until with- 
in a few miles of Dawson we were greatly annoyed by 
them. We made a smudge every night in our cabin and 
drove them all out, and we put camphor ice on our 
faces, yet still we were troubled. The following day at 
seven a. m. we started again and at noon reached the 
Little Salmon. Here we saw another Indian settlement 
remarkable for its cleanliness. These Indians were neat 
and intelligent looking and had kind, friendly faces 
which fairly shone with good nature as they waved 
good-bye to us ; especially did we win the pleasant smile 
of the squaws. 



IN THE FAB NORTH 53 

In the afternoon we ran on a sandbar which delayed 
us an hour. The scenery continued to be charming, al- 
though we saw less of the wild rugged class but more of 
foot-hills or rolling land. Near the Little Salmon upon 
one of the high mountains we saw a number of wolves. 
Between the Big Salmon and the Little Salmon we 
passed a mountain that we called Mt. Echo on account 
of the very clear echo that resounded unusually plain. 
A remark made in almost the ordinary conversational 
tone or very little louder was taken up and vibrated just 
as the voice naturally sounded. 

One of the pleasant reminiscences of our trip was the 
exchange of greetings. Some one on every boat we met 
called out cheerily to "Old Glory." Probably partly 
from the attraction the name had for these men who 
were traveling so far away from "Old Glory" now wav- 
ing over the battle field, and every once in a while we 
would pass a boat from which we would hear the sweet 
strains of music. One of our party would call out 
"come and give us some of that" and jumping into a 
small row boat one of them would come over, tie to our 
barge, and getting up into it would play for half an 
hour or more on the mandolin, banjo or guitar and then 
return to his party after a hearty thanks had been given 
him. Perhaps the next day we would meet the same 
party or another one who would again render sweet 
music for us. 

That evening we found a quiet cove where we 
landed and passed the night. The next morning we left 
the little eddy at seven o'clock and neared Five Finger 
Rapids. Quite a distance from the Rapids we were 
taken ashore by one of the passengers, Mr. O., who was 
a former friend and he accompanied us in the long, 
tedious walk at the beginning of which we ascended a 



54 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

very steep mountain. From this high point we looked 
upon the most magnificent scenery. For a time we had 
a level walk on this high elevation and enjoyed the gor- 
geous view. Then we walked up and down the inclines 
and at last through a forest of tall as well as those of 
under-growth trees — an unbroken trail which fatigued 
us greatly ere we reached the place where our barge was 
landed. When we reached Five Finger Rapids how- 
ever, we sat down and rested and gazed upon this pecu- 
liar formation of natural beauty. It is so named from 
the five great rocks through which the waters pass. 
Just to one side and at the rear of one of these rocks is 
a natural bridge, which is an added charm to the al- 
ready pretty formation. 

We sat here quite a while talking and laughing and 
enjoying the view. We watched several boats go 
through, and in one case we fairly held our breath lest 
the boat would strike one of the rocks. My brother and 
Mr. S. joined us and feeling refreshed we finished our 
long walk and got on board the barge. 

Rink Rapids closely follow those of Five Finger and 
we remained on board while passing through these. 
The turbulent portion is on the left, while it is quite 
calm and smooth on the right. 

On the night of the Fourth of July we saw a beau- 
tiful sight and we were at a loss to say whether it was 
a sunrise or sunset. The sun rose and set at so nearly 
the same time and the same place that in this case it 
was somewhat puzzling to distinguish the one from the 
other, but this really must have been a sunset; there 
shone in the heavens a great fiery ball in the midst of 
the most beautiful opal tinted clouds, and in some way 
the phenomena of which I cannot explain the sun seemed 
to multiply itself and there were several along the hor- 



1W THE FAB NOBTH 55 

izon ; all of this was reflected on the dark blue waters 
below. As we stood for some few moments in a rant, 
fixed gaze feasting upon the gorgeous picture of land 
and water and sky, the fiery red changed into a rose, the 
rose into a soft pink, which faded into the most delicate 
hue, and the blue of the heavens and the blue of the 
waters beneath, intermingled with the rosy pinks of the 
sun, so harmoniously touched up here and there with 
foliage, gave such an agreeable mixture of color that 
no one could possibly attain it, no artist could possibly 
conceive of it. It could be but from the hand of One 
Artist. 

And when on retiring, we remembered that this was 
the night of the Fourth of July and that in many places 
throughout America that thousands were enjoying the 
sight of the beautiful and brightly colored fire-works 
ascend to the heavens, we felt nowhere was there seen 
a more beautiful sight — nowhere were there enjoyed 
grander colors than we had seen in this natural picture 
of a setting sun and we will never forget the glory of 
the Fourth of July, 1898. 

The next afternoon we reached Fort Selkirk where 
we remained that night. The Fort is a level plateau on 
a prominent and very pretty site. At one time the 
Government considered making it the capital of the 
Northwest Territory. We spent a very pleasant after- 
noon here, saw the spot upon which the original Fort was, 
walked through the Indian settlement, which has a num- 
ber of well built houses, though most of the Indians were 
otf on hunts. We saw the police quarters and the Mis- 
sion of the Church of England which has a nice church, 
school-house and rectory. As we walked through the 
Mission, our thoughts were saddened when we recalled 
the fate of the Reverend Lyons from England, who was 



56 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

on his way to take charge of this Mission when he was 
drowned. He was on Lake Le Barge during a storm a 
couple of days before we were — in one of those sudden 
squalls. His scow was too large to land in the strong 
wind and he and others were lighting her. He was in a 
very small canoe which the wind capsized and he could 
not be rescued, though strong efforts were made to do 
so. He went down to be seen nevermore. 

We were interested in the Indian graves here which 
were very peculiar looking ; each one was fenced around 
and was decorated with all colors of cloth, grown old and 
ragged, doubtless from being worn by the wind. Here 
we saw a fine collection of furs ; the store was not open 
to the public but the gentleman kindly showed us the 
various kinds of wild animals. 

We were delighted to find a patch of the nicest sort 
of greens here and the men picked a large amount. We 
also had the good fortune to find some wild currants 
with which we made a fine currant roil. 

Just across from Fort Selkirk was a very high, flat 
elevation, a palisade said to be the result of recent vol- 
canic eruption not more that eight or ten years ago. 

About twenty-five miles from here, and a hundred 
and twenty-five miles from Dawson we landed the next 
day at a place called "Lazy Man's Gulch," a new mining 
camp. Colors had been found and parties were digging 
for bed rock where they expected to find gold in good 
paying quantities. We lingered here for several days 
and in fact we stopped a number of other places along 
the last of the route to investigate the camps and learn 
if there had been any good strikes made ; but in this 
place as in all others, although gold was found in very 
small quantities, yet not sufficient to justify our re- 
maining. 



IN THE FAB NORTH 57 

Soon again we were on our way, stopping here and 
there wherever we saw a mining camp, sometimes only 
an hour or so and again a day or two or even longer. 
We stopped at Stewart City over night where there were 
a large number of people. The place stretched quite a 
distance along the front of the river and seemed to be 
in three separate parts. Some jestingly called it "Split 
Up City" on account of many having dissolved partner- 
ship here, and it was rather remarkable how large a 
number who had tried to bear with each other and kept 
together, would feel that they must separate when they 
reached Stewart City. 

The trials of the men going into the interior of this 
country, the arduous labor, the severe hardships, the 
many privations were strains on the tempers of even the 
best natured and it is no wonder that many good friends 
and even brothers quarrelled. A friend of ours told us 
of a very funny, though reckless experience he had. 
One of their number was very cranky and officious, or- 
dering the others around, and one morning right in the 
center of the swift flowing rock-filled Thirty Mile, as the 
current bore them rapidly along, this man ordered our 
friend who was making the fire to hurry and do it dif- 
ferently. To which he replied that he was attend- 
ing to that, and in answer the man said something 
very impudent upon w T hich our friend jumped up and 
there in a small boat they began to fight out the trouble. 
The other men in the boat could not help seeing the hu- 
morous side though they knew it was reckless. Our 
friend succeeded in whipping the other and all ended 
well. 

Domestic life has its worries and men are unused to 
the petty annoyances of it. I think that many, if 
not all, of the men who have made this trip into the in- 



58 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

terior of the north, will return to their homes much 
more appreciative of the home life and the duties of 
women, the majority of whom lead rather busy, indus- 
trious lives even though in many cases assisted by one 
or more maids. 

The day after we landed at Stewart City we were 
again sailing on the bosom of the great Yukon, this time 
constantly in fear of sandbars. This river is full of 
them and sometimes a large barge is compelled to stay 
on one for days until a steamboat comes along and for 
a good round sum pulls her off. The last day of our 
journey we got on one but were fortunate in not remain- 
ing on only a little over an hour. 

The wild, rugged scenery again came in view during 
the last part of our trip and we saw another of those palis- 
ades, out of which came a beautiful cascade that dashed 
in foamy whiteness to the base of the great rocks. 

And now we were nearing Dawson City, the goal of 
our hopes, the destination of our journey. As I experi- 
enced it then day by day, and as I recall it now from 
time to time, it was a most pleasing journey and one of 
the most intense interest. True, the striking of the 
rock in Thirty Mile was a trial, a hardship, a dark cloud 
upon an otherwise sunny picture, yet perhaps it was 
this glimpse of shade that gave unto us a keener appre- 
ciation of the bright and beautiful; at least, I may say 
in all candor that since we came out of it all right I en- 
countered nothing in the way of hardships in the trip or 
climate that would have deterred me from making the 
journey could I have realized the experience before I 
Btarted. 

Just before we reached our destination we suddenly 
turned around a projecting point of the mountain, a sort 
of promontory and Dawson City was in sight although 



IN THE FAR NORTH 59 

we first sailed by what is called Klondyke City, which 
is two miles from Dawson proper ; and what an array of 
tents came into view in these two places. As we passed 
Klondyke City we noticed quite a number of the tents 
pitched away up on the mountain side and upon rocky 
places hanging far out over others below and the tents 
were pitched so very close together that we straightway 
made up our minds that we decidedly did not want to 
live there. Sailing on to where we landed in Dawson 
we passed vessels of all sizes and shape. The shore was 
not only lined but there were six boats deep upon the 
waters and upon many of those large enough tents were 
pitched. 

And so upon the evening of July 28th we landed 
at Dawson City, a very delighted little company 
that our long journey was over, and that we had at 
last reached the heart of gold land. 




My First Impression of Dawson City. 



WE found Dawson City very densely populated, 
a little White City extending far out into 
the water. Later these tents were super- 
seded by neat log cabins. Those who had 
pitched their tents on their boats, either went out upon 
the creeks or far up on the mountain side, so closely 
settled was the most of the ground in Dawson. Our 
first impression of Dawson City was far from being 
pleasant. Perhaps it were partly on account of home- 
sickness, partly from the fatigue we naturally had after 
so long a journey, however delightful it had been. But 
I think not ; rather was it the condition of Dawson City 
for I had never looked upon a more miserable place 
than it appeared to me upon the evening that I first 
saw it. 

The stores and business places were crowded to- 
gether terribly and the streets were horribly muddy 
with great holes in the center of them. Just at the foot 
of the mountain receiving all of the water pouring down 
its side, much of Dawson was swampy and covered with 
black muck, and at the time of our arrival nothing 
whatever had been done to drain it. The sanitary 
condition of Dawson was frightful, but aside from 
this unpleasantness there was a great deal of interest 
to be seen and heard as one walked through the crowd 
that was constantly going to and fro on the sidewalks 
and in the streets of Dawson. 



IN THE FAB NORTH 61 

Many sickened and died during the first days of our 
stay there from typhoid fever, though pneumonia, 
scurvy and divers diseases had their victims. 

This discouraged us and had my brother not located 
across the river in West Dawson, a dry place compared 
with Dawson, built upon a gradual ascent leading to the 
mountain just back of it, we would have in all probabil- 
ity returned to our homes. 

In "West Dawson we had pure air and good water 
and later our home was built upon a little knoll that 
had a commanding view of Dawson City, the mighty 
Yukon and the mountains surrounding. The scurvy 
was said to be quite prevalent, though personally we saw 
little or nothing of it. The physicians seemed almost 
outwitted by this disease, some saying it was the result 
of one thing while others gave an entirely different 
cause, however, most of them agreed that it partially 
came from uncleanliness, lack of sunshine and poorly 
prepared food. During the entire summer and fall the 
typhoid raged and even through the winter there were 
a few cases. The lack of drainage of the great amount 
of wet, marshy land, from which a most foul odor arose 
under the rays of the sun, together with the impure 
water, caused this disease to be so prevalent during the 
hot period. 

We felt delighted to be in the little healthy place 
in which our home was built where there was no sick- 
ness during the entire year, except in two or three cases 
of those who had been brought down from the creeks 
after they were taken sick. 

Dawson City is probably the most cosmopolitan 
mining place of the world. There one meets every class 
of the human race and this alone adds interest to a so- 
journ in the Klondyke. 



62 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

In our first walks through Dawson, if one noticed 
only the faces of the ever moving throng, he doubtless 
was reminded of the World's Fair grounds and especially 
at the Midway Plaisance where men of all nationalities 
wended their ways. 

Dawson City was overflowing with the great influx 
of people, many of whom had been enthused and induced 
to come into the country by the exaggerated ac- 
counts which the papers published from time to time. 
Many of these returned on the same steamers which 
landed them, while others whose finances were low 
waited until the rivers and lakes froze over and walked 
out over the ice. Others remained in Dawson to take 
up a vocation to which they were entirely unaccus- 
tomed; as an example there were said to be eight college 
graduates behind saloon bars, two of whom were of 
Yale. 

As to hard physical work the very best classes of 
men, educated and cultured, were engaged in doing it in 
various ways. 

Soon after we landed we moved over to the West 
Dawson side, where my brother pitched our tent and 
fixed us comfortable, after which he began to prepare 
for winter. He built us a picturesque home, a sort of 
Queen Ann cottage of birch poles; the bark was peeled 
off of a portion of these leaving the bare mahogany red 
log which was a pretty contrast to the pearly gray 
bark. 

The arhitecture of our little house as well as the 
building of it was quite a unique success and, as it was 
both planned and built by my brother, unaided by any 
one, we were quite proud of his skill, for he had never 
had the least experience of the kind. Everything 
inside of "Birch Snuggery" was built by my brother 



t 






;^ ^ ' £ 


• • 






* f '"> '- l% ' .' •' 



BIRCH SNUGUKRY IN COURSE OF CONSTRUCTION. 



IN THE FAR NORTH 63 

also and was rustic, even the candelabrum which was a 
picturesque branch of a tree placed upon a solid founda- 
tion and this had little bright tin rests for the candles. 
Mr. and Mrs. C. did some neat upholstery with denim 
and excelsior on the divan and seats. Cheese cloth was 
hung upon part of the wall, though the bare birch poles 
were so pretty and rustic, chinked with green moss that 
we left some of them uncovered. The windows had 
dainty hangings of dotted mull and brussels net and we 
had two screens covered with pure white cheese cloth 
and each of the spirals tied with ribbon. The top boards 
of the screens were covered with blue-print pictures 
which made them very pretty. Our floors were covered 
with denim, dark blankets and sheep skin rugs. There 
was not a purchased article of furniture in the house ex- 
cept the stove — though we had a few toilet articles that 
we had brought into the country with us, such as 
a triple mirror^ small fancy clock and silver brushes 
and combs, et cetera, which aided in giving a home- 
like appearance to our Klondyke house. And though 
we cooked and ate and entertained our friends in one 
apartment, you would have been surprised at the view 
that met you in that far off mining camp, had you 
stepped into our little home when the table was spread 
with white linen and the few pieces of cut-glass, china, 
and silver were placed upon it. We had half a dozen 
pretty sofa pillows stuffed with moss which added to 
our comfort. I must tell you of the beautiful thick, 
soft moss of many varieties that grow in the north in 
various colors from dark green to the lightest, and of 
red, and brown and some of almost pure white. The 
moss grows wonderfully thick and when one steps upon 
it his feet are almost lost in this deep, soft mass of 
greenery, far softer than a thickly padded velvet car- 



64 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

pet, its growth varying from two to four or even more 
inches high, these long sprigs springing from the ground 
very close together. There are many kinds of lichen 
clinging to the rocks and trees, of the daintiest of color- 
ings and shapes. 

Bodies buried a few feet are preserved for all time 
— and the digging of a grave was quite an undertaking, 
as it took two or more men several days to accomplish 
the excavation necessary. 

The ground never thaws only little more than a foot 
down from the surface. Yet the trees and flowers, 
the grasses and mosses grow so luxuriantly, and im- 
bedded in the latter are found many tiny, delicate vines 
and ferns, and vegetation has a ready growth also — this 
luxuriance is probably due to the sun shining nearly all 
the time during the summer. 

There were five windows in our little house and the 
roof which was what you call a hip-roof with a gable in 
front was formed of several things. First tiny poles were 
closely laid together, on top of which was placed moss 
and over this boards and lastly the canvas was stretched 
upon these. A square sky-light gave us a great deal of 
comfort, especially on the short dark days as it shed 
light to the very corners of the room. An exact repre- 
sentation of our home is seen upon the frontispiece, to 
ihe left of which may be seen the typical miner's cabin. 

During August though the days were lengthening 
still it seemed daylight all night, and in Dawson the 
people walked and talked the whole night long, but in 
September the days perceptibly changed, the sun shone 
brightly most of the time and the thermometer regis- 
tered between sixty and seventy-five above. It was dur- 
ing the September days and the early ones of October 
that the rich tints of Autumn were seen. Never have I 



IN THE FAB NORTH 



(^> 



beheld more beautifully colored foliage than in the 
Autumn that I spent north. The leaves of one variety 
of trees would turn yellow, another red, and still others 
brown, while less often could be seen a dark, deep purple 
almost black, yet those that were the most pleasing were 
the variegated ones, bright yellow and crimson and 
green combined. 

Our door faced a mountain that was literally cov- 
ered with these gay bright Autumn leaves, gay in the 
sunshine and we revelled in the pleasure of looking at 
them day after day as these leaves were showered on the 
mountain side by the keen winds until King Frost robbed 
us of this delight. In October the cold winds made us 
realize that a long Arctic winter was approaching with 
its short days and long nights and very soon we laid 
aside our shirt waists and sailor hats to don our winter 
garments. The change came rapidly and in the first few 
days of October ice floated in the river which continued 
more or less until November 4th, when the river entirely 
closed over. During the last week of this period very 
immense bodies of ice were borne down the river until 
they gorged a short distance below, and at night partic- 
ularly we could hear great crushing sounds as the ice 
jammed. 




An Arctic Winter. 



THE days grew very short until they were only 
about three hours long, then the sun rose from 
ten thirty to eleven p. m., and near two p. m. 
we lighted our lamp and candles. We had the 
pleasure of moonlight nights there as elsewhere, only 
perhaps more brilliant or the white snow diffused or re- 
flected the light, thereby increasing it. 

During the months of November and December the 
thermometer stood between ten degrees above and twenty 
degrees below most of the time though for nearly a 
fortnight we had very cold weather more than fifty-five 
degrees below. The last week in December we had 
rather remarkable weather, being warm enough to rain 
one day. 

The Aurora appeared ever and anon, sometimes like 
a search light shooting from over the mountain tops past 
the zenith and again as a bright border around the 
heavens. 

We had no very deep snow at any one time though 
it snowed for a while nearly ever night and as the 
weather grew more severe it never thawed; so gradually 
the snow became very deep but one scarcely realized it 
for each day the previous night's snow was trodden down 
and so the trail never had deep snow upon it. Though at 
times the weather was very cold yet we were able to 
keep warm and comfortable and even when the weather 
was between fifty and sixty below zero I put on my 
wraps every clay and walked out. 



7JV THE FAB NORTH 67 

Then the cold weather could be borne much better 
because it was so very still, scarcely a bit of wind and it 
was sueh a dry cold that it did not affect one as it would 
in a moister climate, yet there was great necessity to 
watch one's self lest some portion should freeze; many 
would freeze a cheek or ear and not know it. I had 
been warned of this and I would feel of my face every 
few moments when out walking to see if I was all right. 
I did not get the least frost-bitten in any portion during 
the entire winter. Once when crossing the river a gen- 
tleman addressed me with the words, "Lady, I think 
one of your cheeks is freezing." Thanking him, I 
turned to Emily and asked her if it appeared so and she 
said, "Yes, Aunt Lulu, there is a tiny, little white spot 
on your right cheek," but I did not feel the least discom- 
fiture, yet laughingly bent down and picked up some 
snow and held it to my cheek though I did not think 
it was necessary. It was a very common thing to hear 
men tell each other to feel of their faces and see if they 
were not frozen and sometimes they would find their 
ears, noses or cheeks were freezing and they did not feel 
it. The pain would come after they went into the 
warmth and those portions would thaw out. 

We arose very late and of course a portion of the 
day went attending to our domestic duties after which 
we wrote and read. We took in some good reading such 
as Progress, the University Course of Literature and our 
friends kept us well supplied with good novels. Some- 
times during the day we ascended the mountain to the 
right of our home, and walked away into the forest with 
my brother ; enjoyed peeling birch bark off the trees 
which we separated into thin layers after we got back to 
the house and stored it away to take back home with us. 
Once we noticed one or two green leaves peeping from 



68 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

under the snow and stooping I pulled up a little vine, 
the leaves of which were bright dark green and a num- 
ber of red berries on it, which were much like the holly 
berries though the leaf was tiny; these were pretty to 
decorate our home. 

The evenings were spent pleasantly with our friends, 
one and another coming until sometimes we had from 
six to ten visitors atone time. We passed the time these 
long winter evenings in music and conversation on Art 
and Literature and the current topics of the day — or at 
least as far as we knew them. The gentlemen brought 
their instruments with them and we all joined in the 
merry songs that resounded in our northern home. The 
War was discussed, for though it had virtually closed in 
August, still we would hear some sensational news of its 
continuance every little while. It was annoying to hear 
the many false rumors afloat. The last steamboat 
brought in mail the latter part of October and it was two 
months — yes, nearly three months — ere we received our 
new mail over the ice on January 24, though some old 
mail was received in December, and on April 20 we re- 
ceived our last mail over the ice. In a little over a 
month the first steamboat down river brought in mail. 
Always the day after the new mail got in, the post-office 
was closed to sort over the large amount of mail, and the 
following day it was a novel sight to see the large num- 
ber in front of the post-office formed into a double line, 
and this extended sometimes for two blocks up and down 
the street, each man awaiting his turn. And during the 
severe weather it was hard on the men — there was a side 
door, however, where ladies were waited upon immedi- 
ately. 

At one time in the winter there were a large num- 
ber of reindeers held in Dawson brought there for the 



IN THE FAR NORTH 69 

purpose of conveying mail to St. Michael, and there 
were also a few Eskimos with their own reindeer there 
for a short time. 

We spent a pleasant Thanksgiving which was shared 
by a half dozen of our best friends. We had not the 
usual turkey dinner though we had quite a dainty re- 
past of oyster patties, shrimp salad, asparagus, potatoes, 
tomatoes, plum pudding, lemon ice, salted almonds, 
and coffee. 

Child-life in that far off northern clime was inter- 
esting, and the little girls and boys of Dawson and its 
vicinity enjoyed life very much akin to those of the rest 
of the world. In my daily walks I met children of all 
ages from three to twelve years happy and gay in 
their glee, with their dogs and sleds. Sometimes a 
number would be piled on the Yukon sleds drawn by one 
or more dogs, attended and cared for by some older 
friend, though at times they would be in no one's charge, 
the older children driving the dogs, and calling out, 
"Mush on," "Gee there," and "Haw." The first ex- 
pression is from the French Marche. 

These little ones were always well wrapped and 
usually wore an outside garment of fur called a "parka" 
that goes over the head and has no front or back open- 
ing; to this is attached a hood that fastens close over the 
face, revealing only the eyes when it is necessary to pro- 
tect the face. This garment is the typical northern wrap 
worn by most of the men when out on stampedes or long 
tramps during the cold season. Now and then you would 
see a woman wearing a parka, though the majority wore 
fur coats or the ordinary wraps they were accustomed to 
at home. The dogs worked faithfully in and about 
Dawson just as they did on the trail from Dyea to the 
Pass. The streets of Dawson and the roads leading to 



70 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

the gulches were thronged with these dog teams, and so 
quietly did they travel that one had to look out not to be 
run over; and some of them were beautiful creatures, es- 
pecially do I refer to the interior dogs, the Malamute 
and the Husky, which are of the wolf species and are fine 
specimens of a canine. Most of the dogs were well 
treated by their masters, though now and then you 
would come across men who were very cruel to these 
faithful animals. I had several rides behind these Yukon 
horses but never attempted to drive them myself, and 
one day a young girl friend about thirteen years of age 
came to take me out for a ride. She had two dogs har- 
nessed to the sled, and as I got on I said: "Now Josie, 
do you know how to manage this team?" To which she 
answered, "Oh, yes Miss Craig;" and the words were 
scarcely out until they started, she having the reins. 
We were going down hill and they started from the first 
to go very fast, Josie trying to stop them. Well, they 
got away from her of course, as I might have known 
they would, and on they raced faster and faster, I laugh- 
ing and calling to them; soon I saw a sawbuck for 
which they seemed heading. I quickly threw my arms 
up to protect my head and face if we struck it; fortu- 
nately we just grazed it and soon after the dogs turned 
off and the sled upset, I rolling down the incline. My 
young friend came rushing down in distress fearing I 
was hurt, and seemed so sorry that she had attempted to 
guide the dogs, but I soon relieved her by saying that I 
was not at all hurt and that I did not know when I had 
had such fun. After we got down on the river I got on 
again and then the dogs traveled nicely. Ten or twelve 
of these dogs attached to a Yukon sled embellished with 
bells and bright ornaments is a pretty sight. Some 
black, some are almost pure white, others a deep 



I2T THE FAB NOBTH 71 

cream, and again you will see black and brown spots upon 
the white ones. They are very affectionate but are 
great thieves. They forage every night and almost al- 
ways get great pieces of bacon and ham from the caches. 
It was wonderful to see how they would open cans with 
their teeth and paws. A Malamute dog was worth two 
hundred dollars and upward and an ordinary dog from 
the States brought forty dollars. 

The children ofttimes would accompany their fath- 
ers to the forests to get wood. One day I met a father 
and his three sons crossing the river, the youngest being 
between four and five years old. They were all laugh- 
ing and chatting together and seemed to be in fine 
health and their appearance was quite picturesque in 
their parkas and mucklucks; the latter are fur coverings 
for the feet and usually reached to the knees, looking 
like fur boots. The little one was somewhat in advance 
of the others and he was merrily singing "Old King 
Cole was a merry old soul," and his bright eyes and rosy 
cheeks and happy face betokened a heart e'en as merry 
as the jolly old king of "Mother Goose's Melodies." 

And dear, old Kris Kringle slighted not these chil- 
dren of the North : childish hearts were made glad with 
his gifts and the Christmas tree appeared in a number of 
homes as well as in the churches. 

So the great sympathy extended to children, whose 
parents took them so far from the homes of their births, 
was not needed. There was little sickness among them 
and I personally knew of several, who grew stronger 
and healthier during their stay in Dawson. One advan- 
tage they had was the companionship of their parents, 
of which they had much more, than a number of them 
were accustomed to have in their homes ; especially was 
this so with the fathers whose business cares in a city 



72 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

gave them little time to walk and talk with their chil- 
dren. 

From the middle to the last of December were the 
very short days of three hours length. During most of 
December at least, the sun did not entirely appear,but on 
January 2nd its whole disc was seen for the first time in 
days, and though for a time the sun shone but for an 
hour or two, yet it shone very brightly ; the sundog ap- 
peared in the heavens quite often and at times was a 
pretty sight; it was the size of the regular sun and dif- 
fused with the prism colors. 

My daily brisk, invigorating walks were a source of 
much pleasure and benefit to me. 

Christmas eve we passed at the home of friends and 
with them partook of a delicious lunch just before 
twelve, after which we all went to the Catholic Church 
with a mutual friend to attend Midnight Mass and hear 
the good singing. The soprano was a native of Bel- 
gium and sang very sweetly with a voice of culture. 
Christmas day we decorated our home with evergreens, 
vines and some ferns, that we had gathered and pressed 
in the fall. Upon Christmas night we entertained a 
number of friends and our little girl enjoyed her Christ- 
mas tree and the expressions of kind thoughts, which 
our friends took pleasure in making. We had some fine 
mandolin music, accompanied by the guitar, and our 
voices chimed together in making merry the Christmas 
in the Klondyke. 

The following Saturday evening we ate five o'clock 
dinner with friends, a young married couple from Chi- 
cago, and that evening much the same company that 
composed our Christmas gathering met with these 
friends to watch the old year out and the new year in. 

The night was quite cold but clear and a lovely 



IN THE FAB NORTH 73 

moon shone forth. We passed several hours with games 
and music, and when twelve o'clock came, we all stepped 
out upon the little veranda and listened to the various 
whistles and sounds made by the Daweonities to wel- 
come the year 1899. Several of our party joined in with 
the bugle calls on the cornet. 

Somewhat chilled, we went in and were gladdened by 
a dainty lunch. After wishing each the other "Many 
happy returns of the day," we bade our host and hostess 
good-night and began to descend from the eminence 
upon which their home stood. I think it took one hun- 
dred and ninety steps to reach the street and there was 
much merriment as now and then one of us would fall. 
So ended our holidays, and pleasant they were, even 
though we were deprived of home and dear ones, and 
were so far away from the rest of the world. 

During the winter there was a great deal of travel 
in and out of Dawson over the ice. In February and 
March there were five hundred who went out of the 
country either afoot or with dog teams, and seven hun- 
dred who came in it. 

And now we noticed the days beginning to lengthen 
— the long pleasant evenings grew shorter. Our Arctic 
winter had been an agreeable surprise to us, for we lit- 
tle realized we would have the good, social times we had. 
Good books and interesting friends with their violins, 
mandolins, guitars and banjos, helped us to while away 
the long evenings and we had much pleasure in our mu- 
sicals. 

The Aurora visited us every once in a while and was 
always a delight to watch as it flashed here and therein 
the heavens, some times appearing low right around the 
northern part of the sky, and again in triangular shapes, 
the apex reaching to the zenith; these lights, phenom- 



74 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

enal to the North, would appear in a milky whiteness, a 
Nile green, or in the prism colors. 

We were surrounded on every side with snow- — on 
mountain, river and vale the same white mantle was 
spread and often in the mornings, this picture of nature 
was fascinating in the extreme. During the night 
heavy hoar-frost had silently crept over the roofs and 
over every branch of the trees and when the sun first ap- 
peared before its effect was felt, the beauty of the win- 
ter scene was increased and we had much delight in 
looking upon it. 

There is a little Indian village a couple of miles 
from Dawson on the Yukon, which is quite a civilized 
little community. It is a mission of the Church of Eng- 
land and had a school under the care of a gentleman, 
who also held religous service with them. The Indians 
are pleasant and friendly. Chief Isaac seemed delight- 
ed to chat with you though he has not a very intelligent 
use of our language. In going through the Indian vil- 
lage one day I saw a large number of fire arms on exhi- 
bition, and upon inquiry we learned that all of these be- 
longed to Chief Isaac and that the office of the Chief is 
determined upon by the number of arms possessed — the 
one having the greatest number succeeds in gaining the 
leadership of his people. 

Miners have their good times and play many a joke 
on each other. The following little story was told to me 
by one of the old-timers. In Eighteen Ninety-six the 
candles became very scarce and could hardly be obtain- 
ed at all — at this time several of the miners got together 
and schemed a good joke. They took condensed milk, 
and weakening it, froze it into molds shaped like can- 
dles — then they placed a number of these in a box and 
took them down to the restaurant and saloon, where they 



12f THE FAR NORTH 75 

drove quite a bargain with the proprietor, who was very- 
glad to get candles at any price — and particularly to be 
able to trade for them with drinks. The latter of 
course then in that country were very expensive. Well, 
he took the box and placed it behind the counter and 
then began to serve drinks to the little crowd. In a lit- 
tle while after the beverage was enjoyed he discovered a 
white liquid running on the floor and of course it did 
not take long for him to understand how he had been 
taken in, but he took the joke very good-naturedly. 

The men of course did their own cooking and all 
of them did not enjoy this — but managed to have their 
fun out of it. When one would be frying doughnuts, a 
friend might accidently drop in, and of course would be 
asked to have some, or would help himself. When he left 
he would go around and inform the entire camp that 
"Joe is frying doughnuts" and this information would 
start one after another until all had called and eaten of 
"Joe's doughnuts" and the poor man would have little or 
none left for himself — but he would soon have a chance 
to pay the others back and so they enjoyed themselves. 
A number of those, who have been among the fortunate 
and have made immense fortunes in the Klondyke, are 
plain, uneducated men. 

I heard something of one of these men, who had 
been in the interior for years. He had had the scurvy 
and had lost all of his teeth, but this little German had 
the good fortune of having two hundred thousand dol- 
lars of Klondyke gold. 

Last year when he went out of the country he was 
entertained in Chicago at one of the very elegant homes, 
where he was given beautiful appartments in which were 
a number of mirrors and afterward he remarked "Why 
even the comb was silver and everywhere I could see my 



76 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

little ugly self — and oh ! I was happy to get out of that 
house." And when he was entertained at the club by 
his host he was under great embarrassment for fear he 
would be very awkward and show his lack of culture — 
but by watching the others, he got along very well. 

Another funny little tale is told of one of the old 
timers coming out and stopping in San Francisco ; he 
went to the Cathedral and seeing the priest and the little 
choir boys with their suplices— he took these garments 
for parkas and when the holy incense was burned he 
said "They made a smudge when there wasn't a darned 
mosquito there." 

Travel in and out of Dawson to the different creeks 
on which gold had been found in large, or small quanti- 
ties was fine in the winter and in the spring as long as 
the snow was at all firm, but after the thawing com- 
menced it was terribly muddy, and the tramps to and 
from the mines were very fatiguing to the men and some 
of them were quite exhausted after walking the long dis- 
tances; for of course the sled had to be abandoned soon 
after the thawing commenced and most of the travel was 
done on foot — sometimes the men going into mire al- 
most up to their knees. 

A great deal could be said about the trials and 
hardships that the men endured in that country — the 
most of them did their own cooking and laundry and got 
their own wood, which they sawed and split. But all 
this is endured in any new mining country. 

But going on stampedes in the extremely cold 
weather is a departure to other endurances. 

A few worn out and exhausted sat or lay 
down to rest and have been found frozen to death the fol- 
lowing morning. Others have lost their way in a blind- 
ing snowstorm and almost yielded up life and have lost 



IN THE FAR NORTH 77 

portions of their legs and feet, and yet after recovering 
again joined in the wild rush after gold — still courag- 
eous and undaunted. "Hope springs eternal in the 
human breast." We had a friend that had gone on one 
of these stampedes recklessly dressed. 

It was during a warm spell and he had on rubber 
boots and one pair of hose. Without preparing for a 
change in the weather, he joined a party of his friends 
and hastened to the strike. He got located and return- 
ing the weather changed, the thermometer fell very low 
and he froze a portion of his feet. When he undressed 
them, the entire skin of the soles of his feet came off and 
stuck to his hose. He was confined to his cabin for 
three months and at last had to have his big toes ampu- 
tated. So I might go on and relate sore trials and severe 
hardships that were experienced by these men rushing 
blindly after the goddess Gold, though if one gives the 
right care to his person and clothing, dwelling place and 
eating, the climate of the north is far from being an un- 
healthful one. 

We enjoyed our winter very much and the time 
fairly flew. I had the pleasure of attending religious 
services at the different churches from time to time and 
was interested in the success of the various efforts made 
by them to forward the good work. 

Now and then we were invited to join our most inti- 
mate friends in evenings of pleasure either in their 
cabins or in vacant ones rented for the time. On Feb- 
ruary 22nd, three of the gentlemen rented a cabin and 
decorated it and put up a stove. Everything was ar- 
ranged nicely for a little private gathering on the birth- 
day evening of the "Father of Our Country," and we 
spent a very pleasant time with about twenty of our 
friends. Those who were fond of dancing had that 



78 



SUNSHINE AND SHADE 



pleasure after the sweet strains of the mandolin, though 
much of the evening was spent in intellectual games. 

All news either in letter, magazines or papers came 
to us about a month late — sometimes later — but one 
may easily see that our winter was interesting and pleas- 
ant and that "the long dark nights of an Arctic win- 
ter" may be and were passed agreeably. We shall never 
forget the merry social times we had in our little north- 
ern home amidst the ice and snow, surrounded by friends 
of almost all nationalities. 




The Spring. 



DURING March the thermometer registered be- 
tween ten below and twenty above most of the 
time, though there were warm days when it 
stood forty-five above zero. The snow of 
course was beginning to melt but there was so much of it, 
and the nights still remained so cold that the thawing 
made slow progess, and it was hard to realize that it 
was a spring month. 

We had a few very windy days in March but more 
in April. St. Patrick's Day was duly celebrated and a 
goodly procession was formed, each wearing his badge 
of green, and the music of the band gladdened the hearts 
of the people. 

The Aurora had been giving us nightly exhibitions, 
but we had never seen it very gorgeously display the 
prism colors, or had we ever heard the electrical sounds 
which are said to accompany these lights. 

On the night of the twenty-first of March we had 
the gratification of seeing the Aurora Borealis in great 
brilliancy. The morning after in writing in my diary 
of the delight and pleasure I had experienced the night 
before I wrote: "I still feel under the spell of those 
lovely lights of the Aurora. Indeed I seem to be yet in 
a fascinating dream, though a realistic one." And in the 
afternoon I wrote to my home and attempted to describe 
these northern lights. I will quote from that letter 
written by me while I was yet under the influence of the 
magic beauty of the Aurora : 
79 



80 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

"Now I want very much to describe something I saw- 
last night but I fear I am incapable of doing so. It was 
a fine exhibition of one of the wonders of nature, the 
Aurora Borealis, for though theories have been advanced, 
yet no certain decision has ever yet been arrived at con- 
cerning its cause. Some have lately most absurdly 
brought forth the idea that it is the sun shining on the 
icebergs of the far north, but the most feasible theory 
is that it is a result of electricity. 

"It was a beautiful moonlight evening and earlier we 
had noticed bright white lights of odd shapes flitting 
about in all parts of the heavens, though starting in the 
South rather than the North. 

"We were chatting with friends about nine-thirty 
p. m. when after a hasty rap in came our friend Mr. J., 
to tell us of the grand sights on the outside. 

"We all rushed out and at the time I did not believe 
it possible to describe it but will attempt it. 

"It was the grandest sight of my life and strongly 
indeed, did nature appeal to my sense of the beautiful. 
The entire canopy of the heavens was covered with an 
ever moving ever changing mass of beautiful colored 
lights. 

"The celestial body seemed to be a living thing of 
brilliant beauty. In many places the prism colors were 
all brought clearly out and again you could see two or 
more, a lovely rich purple combined with a deep green, 
and so on in a most harmonious effect. 

"They seemed to be chasing each other in lovely 
confusion, suddenly coming together and again quickly 
separating in the tumult. 

"Then there were times when we could hear the 
electrical, whirring sound, as we silently viewed the 
Aurora. 

"A part of the time the wild disorder of magnificent 
confusion gave place to a gentler motion and it seemed 
more like a great piece of the fluffiest of tulles daintily 
and airily shaken to and fro under strong bright calcium 
lights. 

"Oh! words are inadequate to express the delight 
these startlingly beautiful colored lights of the North 






£StT-"' 

''"-' a0 



ik W 



BLOSSOMS FROM THE FAR NORTH. 



I]r THE FAB NORTH 81 

gave to one as he stood viewing them. The electric 
fountain of the World's Fair was to them as the faint- 
est streak of the light of the dawn is to the glare of the 
noonday sun." 

And perhaps I can add nothing more to the above 
to make it more realistic — though others might. In all 
candor I never looked upon such magnificent coloring ! 
such gorgeous brilliancy! such picturesque beauty! We 
stood for half an hour enraptured, spellbound, until the 
prism colors all left the heavens and only the white 
light remained. Then somewhat chilled we went in to 
warm. Our friends soon bade us good night and we 
retired dazed almost to muse over the gorgeous splendor 
of Aurora Borealis. 

On April second we dined over in the city, guests of 
a friend, at the best restaurant and were served with a 
fine dinner, and two weeks later we were given the 
pleasure of another dining at the same place and the 
menu was much more elaborate. The last was given in 
compliment to our family, and there were twelve covers 
laid. One of our hosts was a Scotchman, a physician, 
the other came from my native state, Missouri. 

At both of these dinners the spread was served 
very nicely and in courses. I think many would be in- 
terested in the list of eatables and a few doubtless much 
surprised at it. Below is the Easter menu : 

MENU. 

SOUP. 

Green Turtle with Sherry. 

FISH. 

Anchovies on Toast. 



Boiled Leg of Mutton, Caper Sauce. 



82 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

ENTREES. 

Small Moose Steak aux Petitpois. Fresh Oyster Patties. 
Cream Puffs. 

ROASTS. 

Sirloin of Beef au Jus. 

Young Turkey, Cranberry Sauce. 

VEGETABLES. 

Mashed Potatoes. Hubbard Squash. 

DESSERT. 

■ 

English Plum Pudding, Brandy Sauce. 
Assorted Pies. Cake. Cheese. Coffee. 

The snow was melting fast and the creeks were run- 
ning, the trail on the river was getting slushy and soon 
we began to watch for the breaking up of the ice. Pre- 
vious years, when the "Mighty Yukon" broke, the ice 
had piled high in pyramids just below Dawson, near the 
Indian village and we hoped for a gorgeous sight, al- 
though we could not expect it, for many had said the 
winter had been much milder than usual and the Spring 
had come more gradually. 

On the twenty-seventh of April we ascended the 
mountain just back of West Dawson and gathered a 
number of pretty flowers, the variety some called the 
crocus, others the anemone, but I thought it quite like 
our clematis though it grew differently. It is the large 
purple flower in the colored plate. It grew on a 
shrubby little plant close to the ground. 

Lowell's words were recalled to my mind on these 
Spring days : 

"We may shut our eyes but cannot help knowing 

That skies are clear and grass is growing. 

The breeze comes whispering in our ear, 

That dandelions are blossoming near — 

That maize has sprouted, that streams are flowing, 

That the river is bluer than the sky; 

That the robin is plastering his house hard-by." 



IX THE FAR NORTH 83 

From this time on flowers were in bloom, though 
we left too early to enjoy the roses, which were bud- 
ded, but not in bloom. After having enjoyed the pleas- 
ure of the many flowers and grasses, it seems odd to 
hear people say : "Why grass and flowers do not grow 
and bloom so far North, do they?" And many have 
made this remark to me and cannot believe that there is 
aught in that far northern country but ice and snow. 
Nature is something the same the world over and 
while North I most thoroughly enjoyed communion 
with her, as well as took pleasure in talking about na- 
ture. Among our numerous friends there were educat- 
ed botanists and geologists, with whom I took pleasure 
in discussing nature and her characteristics. One in 
particular talked very interestingly of the upheavals of 
the earth's surface and had a thorough knowledge of his 
subject. He was a graduate of Harvard. 

The majority of the men in the Klondyke were edu- 
cated men, many of them fresh from college. Others 
had laid down successful professions to join the mad 
race after gold, and nearly all seemed to be men of in- 
telligence and at least belonged to the middle class. 
The slums were not represented, or at least exceptional- 
ly so, if at all. 

The first of May the sun rose at four-thirty and set 
at eight-thirty. Upon the sixth of May I crossed the 
river for the last time on the ice, but my brother and a 
number of the men continued to cross for some time. 
On that day I stepped above my ankles in water, and 
once I fell my foot going down further until the water 
reached almost to my knees, not going over the tops of 
my rubber boots, however, so I did not care to risk 
crossing any more, and when my brother came home in 
the evening he told me it would be better for me not to 
cross again. 



84 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

The men continued crossing until May fifteenth, 
when several fell in but were helped out, though there 
was one drowned, a civil engineer in the government 
service. The ice broke under him near Klondyke City 
and it being very early in the morning no one was near 
to go to his rescue, so the poor man died clinging to the 
ice, taking precaution to throw his book of government 
records on the bank. Then there was no more crossing 
and at four-fifteen on May seventeenth we heard loud 
shouting and looking we saw the river had broken and 
the trail over which we had gone so many times was 
moving. 

This continued for two hours then it stopped until 
nine forty-five when the ice began again to move and it 
was an interesting sight, though not the wonderful pil- 
ing up of the ice that we had hoped for. There was a 
little jam every now and then which lasted hours, but 
the pyramids of ice that we had heard talked of, did not 
appear. We lingered long in the gloaming and watched 
it until the chill of the evening drove us in. 

For several days the ice continued running, though 
growing smaller and less frequent. The men began 
crossing on the nineteenth but I did not cross until the 
twenty-fourth of May, when there was quite a nice cele- 
bration held and a fine program carried out of races, et 
cetera, in honor of the Queen's birthday. 

Crossing that day a funny thing happened. Often 
there were odd shapes of wood seen floating down the 
river, at times looking very much like a duck or some 
water fowl. That afternoon just as we were passing 
two men who were mending their seines on the river 
bank, one of these oddly shaped pieces of wood floated 
by near us. One of my friends, who was rowing me 
across called out to the men that there was a duck and 



1J¥ THE FAR NORTH 85 

hurriedly glancing at it, one of them dropped the seine, 
and hastily ran up the embankment to his cabin, 
grabbed his gun and rushing out shot at the object; at 
this we all laughed, he with the rast of us when he saw 
how he had been fooled and my friend, who perpetrated 
this joke, hurrahed over it. 

Upon the twenty-third of May a boat from up 
stream came in with lots of mail, that had been brought 
down over the ice part way and was compelled to lay 
over until the river was navigable for boats. 

On the twenty-fourth one from down river got in, 
boats now came in every day from up and down stream, 
but they were boats that had been wintering only a 
little distance out of Dawson where they had sought a 
sheltered spot to harbor ere they were frozen in. And 
when we left on June twelfth there had not arrived but 
one boat that had come all the way from Bennett and it 
was a small one, and there had not one arrived from Saint 
Michael ; most of the boats from the latter place do not 
get into Dawson until the middle of July. 

We were now what is is called in the Klondyke 
"sour dough" or those who had wintered in the country 
and no longer belonged to the "Checharko" class, new 
comers. 

The last month that we were in Dawson and espec- 
ially the last two weeks it rained a great deal. On one 
of the afternoons we saw a most beautiful double rainbow, 
both very vivid, and half or more of these brilliant arches 
were over the mountain, the end of each was even cast 
upon the waters. 

The last social gathering to which we invited our 
friends was on Emily's birthday; the second she had 
passed away from home. 

On June third we elaborately trimmed our home in 



86 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

the many lovely wild flowers that grew on the mountains 
near us and extended the hospitality of our home for the 
last time to our host of friends with whom we spent another 
pleasant evening. Many of the flowers to which we are 
accustomed grow in profusion in the North, besides which 
there are a number that though akin to ours, are dis- 
tinctively of northern or Alaskan growth, some of which 
have such tiny and such delicate petals that it seems 
impossible to believe them native of the North. 

And now came the last preparation ere we sailed for 
home. Divers errands took us across once or twice a 
day, having our traveling dresses made at the tailor's, 
(and there were several good tailors in Dawson) select- 
ing a few nuggets to take home, etcetera. And it was 
very interesting to look upon the gold just as it was 
taken from the ground, some were tiny and others were 
quite large and of odd, pretty shapes. A friend showed 
me one about the size of an egg taken from his claim, 
which was solid gold and no quartz. I have a small one 
quite like a capital H in design, another the perfect 
form of a calla-lily. 

It is quite a feat to cross the Yukon and land just 
where one wishes. The men usually rowed or poled up 
the eddy close to the bank for quite a distance, and 
then with hard and skillful rowing against the current, 
were borne by the latter rapidly across. Sometimes, 
however, if they failed in going far enough up the eddy 
ere they attempted to cross, the current bore them too 
far down stream, landing them far from the point they 
wished to land. We crossed most of the time in a Peter- 
borough canoe, which turns over easily if one moves 
carelessly around in it, but is so much more easily pad- 
dled across. 

The provisions were usually kept in outside caches 



IN THE FAB NORTH 87 

that were in easy access to any one who was of a dis- 
honest nature, and many have wondered that there was 
so little stolen which I explain, first, that after all there 
are many good honest people in the world, and second, 
the few that were dishonest had such severe punishment 
dealt so quickly out to them that it warned the others. 
Judgment and punishment soon followed a crime and 
there were times doubtless that as in every country the 
innocent were wronged. 

And now I almost counted the hours that intervened 
between the present and my return home, for though I 
had been much interested in my travels and in my so- 
journ in Dawson, I felt anxious to get back to the dear, 
old home and its loved ones. Then the bright anticipa- 
tions of the lovely journey ahead of u& impelled me to 
wish to start, for we had decided to return via Saint 
Michael and Dutch Harbor. 

The last month of our stay in the North we were 
blessed with beautiful sunsets, for though it rained almost 
every day it would clear toward evening and the long, 
late gloaming and the early dawn combined were pre- 
ceded by the loveliest sunsets possible, so it seemed to 
me ; at least that one seen en route to Dawson on the 
night of July 4th '98 and two particularly of the many 
J enjoyed in Dawson, can never be effaced from my 
memory. 

One of the latter was seen about two weeks before I 
left. The sky was serenely blue with white fleecy clouds 
here and there mingled with others of pearly gray and 
and many more rose tinted from the glow of the sunset. 
When we first noticed the setting of the sun the whole 
of it was above the horizon surrounded and imbedded 
in a brilliant red. This deep glow not only was reflected 
in the sky and upon the clouds, but radiated over the 



88 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

mountains and e'en upon the bosom of the Yukon and. 
could an artist but have reproduced that evening scene, 
your very soul would be appealed to. 

We stood in the rapture of reverent fascination and 
felt almost inspired, as our eyes feasted upon this rare 
and beautiful banquet that Dame Nature had spread be- 
fore us. And as we looked a great portion of the heav- 
ens seemed aglow with the brilliant, fiery red, that 
flitted from cloud-tip to cloud-tip, throwing the most 
lovely opal coloring almost across the firmament. The 
startlingly bright red of the setting sun, the deep violet 
blue of the sky, with its variously tinted clouds, and the 
different shades of green foliage over the mountains, all 
blended so well in the harmonious contrasts. And a 
prayerless man looking upon this scene must have felt his 
nature reproved. It recalled the words of Whittier : 

"So nature keeps the reverent frame 

With which her years began 
And all her signs and voices shame 

The prayerless heart of man." 

As the sun sank out of sight the rosy glow gradually 
died away, and the softest of Quaker grays took its 
place and the night in her plainer garb came forth, but 
for a short time, ere the rising of the sun was heralded 
in the east. 

Two or three evenings later I was alone for a short 
time. At nine-thirty the sun was still shining — boats 
were coming in every day and several were expected that 
evening. So I picked up a book of the University 
Course and went out and sat down on a rustic seat to 
read, but the beauty of the evening scene distracted my 
thoughts from my reading. I went in and got my diary 
and wrote: "Sun not set — and it is nine-forty-five — I 
have been trying to read in the University Course but 



IN THE FAB NOBTH 89 

the splendor of the evening scene will not let me. Sun 
just passing behind the mountains but still shining on 
other peaks away in the distance. In the south, the ro- 
sy light reflected by the sun is changed into a pink, 
which mingled with the atmospheric blue enveloping the 
mountains, intensify the grandeur of the already resplen- 
dent mountains, at the foot of which flows the mighty 
Yukon. The heavens seem to smile a halo of benedic- 
tion in all the dainty colored clouds. I cannot wonder 
at my lack of interest in my book. 

Perhaps these descriptions may give one something 
of a conception of the gorgeous splendor of the Northern 
sunsets — which surely cannot be outshone, though doubt- 
less they are equaled. 




Dawson City. 



DAWSON City proper had nearly five thousand 
people, but there were twenty thousand at 
least in the city and upon the gulches. 

Municipal authority was vested in a Gover- 
nor and the Yukon Council under the ordinances of the 
Northwest Territory, and order was well kept within 
this mining town by Colonel Steele and the Northwest 
Mounted Police. There were no riots and very few dis- 
turbances upon the streets. All of the saloons were 
closed at midnight on Saturday and were not opened un- 
til the following night at the same hour. The intense 
cold of the Yukon water even in the summer made one 
unusually careful in rowing across the river, for though 
a good swimmer, if one was thrown out into the water, 
it was doubtful whether he could save himself, as the 
very cold water soon benumbed him. 

It is true that there had been some of the greatest 
discoveries of gold made in the Klondyke,but there have 
also been a number of exaggerated reports of the rich 
findings there. This took too many people into the coun- 
try and there were not sufficient good mines nor 
enough to support so many. 

Many of the creeks have little or no gold upon them 
and mining in the north is very difficult and very ex- 
pensive for there was very little machinery in the coun- 
try, though a large amount was expected during the 
summer. 

90 



1 1ST THE FAB NORTH 91 

Living was very high and labor brought good pay 
when it could be obtained. Prices varied greatly, though 
when we arrived they were very high and had been even 
higher. 

Those who had the good fortune of getting in over the 
ice before the boats came in, made small fortunes. Lem- 
ons sold at eighteen dollars a dozen and eggs for twelve 
dollars. In the early spring, the latest papers and maga- 
zines sold for three dollars each. After the boats got in 
you could obtain almost everything from an imported 
hat for one hundred dollars, to a fine porter-house steak 
for two dollars and fifty cents a pound. Milk sold for 
thirty-five dollars a gallon and the first cow was rated at 
one thousand dollars. 

But the many boats that came in from up and down 
the river during the summer of ninety-eight brought 
prices down considerably,lemons and eggs being reduced 
to three dollars a dozen, potatoes, onions and meat to one 
dollar a pound and other things in proportion. 

Four denominations had neat houses of worship and 
presiding pastors — Presbyterian, Catholic, Methodist 
and the Church of England. These several ministers 
were earnest and helpful to the community at large. The 
Bishop of the Church of England was an old man of near 
seventy-five years ; he and his wife had spent forty 
years in that country, working among the Indians, whom 
he found friendly and sociable. I was told a funny story 
of the Bishop relating to his association with them, 
which I will relate though I do not know it to be authen- 
tic. 

There had been a drought for weeks and the Indians 
worked themselves up to the idea that the devil was in 
the Bishop and this was causing the wrath of God to thus 
descend upon them and they straightway began to beat 



92 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

the Bishop and to drive him out of the country, but were 
soon persuaded to desist. 

This was told as having occurred in the early days 
of that country and may be only idle rumor. 

Fishing is a lucrative business with the Indians as 
well as others, and it is interesting to see the King Sal- 
mon caught, after which they are struck on the head 
with a club, though the latter seems cruel. Oft we 
would see a birch canoe, "with paddles, rising, falling, 
on the water." They were the tiniest and prettiest of 
canoes and speed rapidly, noiselessly and gracefully 
along under the fine and skillful paddling of the In- 
dians. Many get accustomed to using some of the 
words used by the Indians. As an example : If you ask 
how a friend feels, he may reply, "I feel skookum" 
meaning "I feelgood." 

Hunting is engaged in both for a vocation and a 
pleasure. Many moose and caribou were killed as well 
as white rabbits and petarmigan — the meat of all these 
were fine. We had bear meat once and enjoyed it, 
though we did not know that it was bear at the time, but 
thought it was moose. 

Mrs. C. had a small, light gun which we would 
take with us in our walks and use more for practice — as 
we were never out at the hour that the ducks and ptar- 
migans were most numerous, that being very late in the 
evening or early in the morning. 

Several hospitals attended by an excellent corps of 
physicians and nurses were running successfully — the 
two largest being Saint Mary's under the direction of 
the Catholic Church, and the Presbyterian Hospital 
which was under the leadership of Dr. G. of Toronto, 
who was also the presiding pastor of the Presbyterian 
Church in Dawson City though a graduated physician. 



I IT THE FAR NORTH 93 

The public was furnished with good reading matter 
from a library of eleven hundred books for which a 
monthly fee of two dollars was charged the members. 
This also was owned and run by the Presbyterian Church. 

Several saw-mills supplied an abundance of lumber, 
from which a number of good houses were built, though 
the most of the cabins were built of logs. There were 
three very large stores at which almost everything could 
be bought, and a number of small ones such as drug- 
stores, bakeries, butcher-shops and so on. 

Several good hotels and restaurants were doing a 
fine business and part of them served very good meals. 

There were two papers edited when we first arrived, 
"The Klondyke Nugget" and "The Midnight Sun;" 
another sprang into existence later. 

There were many physicians, dentists, lawyers, ar- 
tists and in fact almost every profession and vocation 
were represented. 

It was greatly to be deplored that there was no 
school in Dawson ; at least no public school and as far 
as I knew no successful private one. Yet there were a 
number of children. The matter was being agitated 
when I came away and now there may be a school sup- 
ported by the government. 

A telephone company had been in existence for six 
months though not very successfully operated. 

Dawson had its fires galore — the first occurred in 
the last of October and was an immense one clearing 
Front street for several blocks. It broke out very early 
in the morning — we were awakened at six a. m., and the 
conflagration was a great sight. There was a volunteer 
fire department under the able direction of Col. Steele 
and the N. W. M. P. 

Two more very large fires followed the first and a 



94 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

number of minor ones. Each time the buildings were 
replaced by others more poorly built. 

However there wsre several very nice business 
houses more lately built of two and three stories — that 
were rented as offices. 

During May and June much had been done to im- 
prove the sanitary condition of Dawson City and the 
great run of typhoid endured last summer was not ex- 
pected this season. There was very little sickness in the 
Spring. 

The authorities had forced the people to be strenu- 
ously careful about throwing their refuse matter in the 
streets, compelling them to take it all to the middle of 
the river where the current could bear it rapidly away. 
Trenches two feet deep had been dug every short dis- 
tance to drain the city and the place bade fair to be much 
more healthful. 

During the Spring and Summer the sweet singing of 
the birds is heard the whole night long — the last one 
hears ere he slumbers is the twittering of these fairy- 
like-winged creatures and the first consciousness of the 
morning brings the sound of their voices. I think near 
the noon-tide must be the time they rest, for I missed 
the sweet singing and the flitting of their little forms 
to and fro among the trees more at that time than any 
other. 

On one of the Spring days a young girl friend and 
I walked high upon the side of the mountain near Daw- 
son and enjoyed picking ferns, stepping from one great 
rock to another. We climbed up to where there had 
been a slide some years ago and legend claims an Indian 
village was buried beneath the rocks and dirt. Here 
the formation had a great deal of asbestos in its com- 
position. 



IN THE FAB NORTH 95 

Further up this same mountain a very pretty pecul- 
iar vine of the spruce or pine species was found trail- 
ing close to the ground and the ferns referred to above 
were small and hardy, with a delicate sandal wood odor 
and many of them had lived through the winter under 
the snow. 

One pleasant Saturday afternoon shortly before 
leaving I walked quite a distance out on the trail lead- 
ing to one of the prominent creeks — Bonanza, with a 
friend. My sister-in-law expected to go with us but 
was not feeling quite well enough to take a long walk. 

We left home rather early in the afternoon, crossed 
in the ferry, and leisurely walked along, looking around 
and enjoying the beautiful scenery. From the elevation 
upon which we were the Yukon for a long distance 
could be plainly seen from the direction of its source to 
that of its mouth, disclosing the pretty little islands 
here and there upon its mighty waters. 

First ascending and then descending we found the 
trail in fine condition, hardened under the constant press 
of the many feet going too and fro. We met several 
with quite a little gold dust upon them — one man had 
between three and four thousand dollars in the sack 
hanging from his neck and his brow was wet with per- 
spiration from the exertion of carrying this weight. 
Later we met one of the N. W. M. P., who had been up 
the creek attending to the gold belonging to the Roy- 
alty which he had the pack-train bring down. I saw a 
sun-dial for the first time during my walk that afternoon. 
We walked out two and one-half miles — here we came to 
an extremely pretty place, the Dawson City Nursery 
and Garden, and this was the special point of interest 
that my friend wanted to show me. It was a picturesque 
rustic house, with the prettiest sort of steps, landing 



96 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

and walk imaginable, leading up to it, the entrance of 
which was embellished with a lovely veranda. Running 
all around this little house and surrounding it was 
terraced ground, attractively laid out. In this "gar- 
den spot" of the North the proprietors expected to 
cultivate roses and all sorts of flowers, as well as to raise 
lettuce, cabbage and other vegetable plants in the rear 
of this lovely, fascinating place, which doubtless seemed 
more so because it was so novel in that far away new 
country. 

So many had said that Birch Snuggery was the 
prettiest place in Dawson but I felt we had a close rival; 
however the two places were so different that they 
could hardly be compared. 

One of the partners had gone down that afternoon 
to meet his wife whom he hoped to see on an expected 
boat, and for whom this little gem of a house was built. 

After resting a little while we started home and I 
wanted to see how fast I could walk and not weary 
myself. So I asked my friend to time me and he did. 
I walked the two and a half miles in thirty-five minutes 
and had lots of fun with my friend of whom I was al- 
ways in advance. He would call out to me to stop or I 
would be the death of him to which I laughingly replied, 
"When gentlemen attend ladies they must please them." 
And then he made answer, "Oh ! I am too old a bache- 
lor to worry myself with such things." It began to 
rain and as I raised my umbrella without looking back 
I said, "Pardon me if I strike you with this," thinking 
he was close behind, but he said, "Don't worry! I'll 
never catch up with that umbrella." I had a fine in- 
vigorating walk and had much pleasure in viewing the 
country. 

There are two very high peaks some distance from 



IN THE FAB NORTH 97 

Dawson often referred to as the "Domes," not together 
however. One is very much higher than the other and 
is perhaps the highest peak near Dawson and is on 
Dominion Creek. Here a party of our friends, my 
brother included, had a picnic on the twenty-first of 
June. Some days later we returned and enjoyed looking 
at the midnight sun which shone brightly. 

The last few days were busy ones preparing to leave 
our Northern home where we had sojourned one year, 
and to go on our return journey that bade fair to take a 
month. 

We of course attended to our domestic duties and 
on Monday morning June 12th, we ate our last breakfast 
in our home to which we bade a regretful farewell. Two 
hours later attended by our most intimate friends we 
crossed the Yukon for the last time and went on board 
the steamer Arnold, of the A. E. Company, on which 
we had engaged passage. Dear Buster, the Malamute 
dog to which we had become so much attached walked 
down to the bank and sadly looked after us until we 
got across. 

We were asked to go aboard the steamer at nine- 
thirty a. m. but she did not leave until three p. m. 

The intervening hours were spent with friends who 
were coming and going the entire time, save during the 
lunch hour and then several lunched with us. We had 
many good friends of almost all nationalities in Dawson 
whom we regretted 6 leaving. But we were especially 
sorry that my brother's business held him in Dawson and 
that Mrs. C, little Emily and myself were returning 
home without him, and on this account we felt very sad 
as our boat loosened its moorings and we waved adieus 
to my brother and the little crowd of friends standing 
on the bank. 



98 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

We stood and looked at them until they receded 
from our sight, now and then giving a lingering look to 
the West Dawson side, where Birch Snuggery stood out 
so plainly in view, with the Malamute dog, Buster, lying 
in front of the door in his loneliness. We heard a dog's 
cry just then which we thought was Buster's wail and 
it touched our hearts for we were much attached to him. 
These Malamutes and Huskies never bark as other dogs, 
but they make a sound more like a human cry. 




The Journey to thje Mouth of trje 
Yukon. 



I was so happy to be going home, and this with the 
delight of looking at the beautiful scenery soon 
drove all sad thoughts from my mind. 

The scenery was grand ! Mountains on either 
side with snow clad ones in the distance. Many of 
these were thickly timbered and again great, rough pic- 
turesque rocks stood out in bold relief with no verdure 
on them. 

There were over one hundred men and seven women 
on board the boat and the entire crew were courteously 
attentive to all, especially to the latter. Captain Mc. N. 
and the purser, Mr. F. were at all times attentive to their 
duties and thoughtful for the comfort of their passen- 
gers. 

It took but a short time to reach Forty Mile 
where we saw a number of Indians ; in fact we saw 
many of these all along the river and one thing was very 
noticeable, that the further we got down the river, the 
further into the interior, that the Indians grew untidier 
and less cleanly and intelligent looking. 

That afternoon we saw another of those beautiful, 
double rainbows, one vying with the other in brilliancy. 
We passed several glaciers. 

June twelfth was very early to leave Dawson and 
our boat was among the first to leave. There was quite 
a lot of ice close to the bank, on either side of the river, 



100 SUJSTSHIJSri; AND SHADE 

though most of the river was entirely free from ice. 
That along the bank could not affect us in the least. 

That night near one a. m. we crossed the boundary, 
and when we awakened that morning we were delighted 
that we were again in America, "The land of the free, 
and the home of the brave." 

During the night we had passed a great rock called 
"Castle Eock," a huge, boulder peculiarly cleft in 
twain, and to this is attached a legendary story about 
an Indian Chief and his squaw quarrelling and the for- 
mer had pushed her away from him and there she re- 
mained. 

At five-thirty a. m. we passed Eagle City where we 
stopped for several minutes only. This was a small 
settlement of natives and white people as usual. 

We stopped frequently along the route to load on 
wood of which it took nearly two hundred and fifty 
cords to run the boat to Saint Michael. 

During the day we saw huge pieces of ice along 
the river bank and the scenery continued to be beautiful. 
At nine that evening we arrived at Circle City, where 
quite a crowd was gathered on the bank, among whom 
were a number of U. S. soldiers. Other boats were 
moored here, several of which had been frozen in the 
ice near this place. 

We went on shore and walked about Circle City, 
which we found to be very much the same as the other 
settlements, though larger. The houses were all built of 
logs and there were two good-sized stores, the N. A. T. 
and the A. C. There was a crude, primitive fire de- 
partment, at which we looked with interest. Here we 
obtained some very pretty beaded pokes, or gold sacks 
made by the Tanana Indians. After leaving Circle City 
we came to that part of the river most dreaded on ac- 



IN THE FAR NORTH 101 

count of the sand bars. For the next eighty miles so 
intricate was the way, and so difficult was it to decide 
which channel to take, that boats were very liable to 
get on the bars. But our Indian pilot was to be depended 
on and most successfully were we steered through these 
narrow channels. An entirely new channel had been 
cut this last year by the ice. 

We stopped at several Indian settlements to load 
wood that day. 

The sun passed behind the mountain at ten-thirty 
that evening though it was still shining from behind the 
elevation. On the morning of June fifteenth we landed 
at Rampart City, where we remained for two hours. 
Here a man came aboard with fine specimens of the 
gold taken from the mines near Rampart City. That 
afternoon we passed the largest Indian Camp on the 
river just outside of Weare. 

Later we passed a Russian Catholic Mission and 
one of the Episcopal Church, the latter was called 
Saint James and we landed just opposite this place from 
where we saw a woman and a boy jump into a boat and 
the woman rowed across. She was evidently heading 
for our boat and most dexterously did she handle her 
oars. Soon she reached our side and tying her boat to a 
tree she came aboard ; a neat, refined woman who looked 
quite delicate to row so well. She came across she said 
to see some of her own sex. She said that she had been 
in that country nearly two years, and had seen but two 
white women during that time. 

Her husband was the rector of Saint James and 
their former home was in Omaha, Nebraska, not far 
from my home. 

She enjoyed her visit with us immensely and we 
took pleasure in chatting with her. I asked her about 



102 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

their work among the Indians and she said it was uphill 
work and sometimes they were much discouraged; that 
they would only succeed in doing the Indians a little 
good, when some white man would give them wniskey 
and then after they had sobered they would be in a worse 
state than ever. Still she said it was a fine field of labor 
and must be patiently worked. 

After leaving this camp we soon came into the flats 
of the Yukon, which lasted for eighty miles. This was 
rather monotonous sailing with no beauty of scenery. 

On the night of the fifteenth of June we retired at 
eleven with the sun still shining. That day the wind 
had been very strong. 

At all times out of the sun the weather was quite 
cool, the thermometer registered nearly fifty above. The 
next day we stopped at two more Indian settlements, 
Mokakie and Nulato. 

At the latter place we met quite a pleasant woman 
from the eastern part of the United States, and she was 
delighted to meet us and extended the hospitality of her 
home to us, serving very nice cake and lemonade. 

Here we saw a large number of Indians and the 
squaws had their babies strapped to their backs just as 
in earlier days. And as course and filthy as many of the 
Indian women looked along the entire route, yet 
mother-love seemed to shine in their ignorant faces for 
their little papooses as strongly as it does in other 
mothers of more intellectual nationalities. 

One thing I have failed to mention in this trip was 
the many wild flowers that the gentlemen got off and 
gathered and brought to us. 

One especially worthy of mention was a lemon- 
colored poppy, the petals of which were of so fine a sub- 
stance that they appeared like artificial silk ones. 



IN THE FAR NORTH 103 

During the night of the seventeenth we stopped at 
two settlements ; one was called. Amvik, I think, and 
the other Holy Cross Mission, the former was a Presby- 
terian mission and the latter a Catholic one, where the 
Indian women do a great deal of bead and embroidery 
work and the men make miniature boats and other 
curios which they sell for the mission. 

Here the little dog Towser, which belonged to the 
boat was accidentally left, and we missed him very 
much, especially did little Emily. The boat would pick 
him up on the return trip and in the meantime he had 
friends there to care for him. That day we passed Rus- 
sian mission where the pretty, picturesque red church 
stood upon the mountain side, a bright contrast to the 
green tress. 

For some time we had again had lovely mountain 
scenery, mostly covered with verdure though now and 
then bare, rocky ones would appear and snow-covered 
ones were in the distance. 

On the morning of the nineteenth of June, just one 
week from the day we started, we were nearing Behring 
Sea. At nine a. m. we were only twelve miles from the 
beginning of the delta of the great Yukon on which we 
would travel sixty to eighty miles ere we reached its 
mouth. (The Yukon is three miles wide at its broadest 
point except at the delta which is from forty to sixty 
miles in width.) And after that we would have at least 
another sixty miles of travel upon the Behring Sea be- 
fore St. Michael would be reached. 

Near ten a. m. we had quite an expanse of lowlands 
on our left and the right shore was bordered by lowlands 
also, in the background of which were snow-clad 
mountains. 

Ever and anon the sea-gulls could now be seen and 



104 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

since early morn we had been traveling on the tide- 
water. In the afternoon the mountains had disappeared 
from view. At three forty-five p. m. we struck our 
first sandbar, reaching this shallow portion just at the 
ebb tide ! A sister steamer, the "Mary Graff," tried to pull 
us off but in vain and we were aground for hours. Dur- 
ing our river trip we averaged fourteen miles an hour, 
though part of this time we ran eighteen miles. We re- 
tired at a late hour and when we awoke the next morn- 
ing at six o'clock, we were sailing on the Behring Sea, 
and were agreeably surprised at the smooth waters, 
which were as calm and as placid as a lake. We were 
delighted, for we feared it would be stormy and the Beh- 
ring Sea in storms in very rough. 

On one side we were out of sight of land and on the 
other there were snow clad mountains to be seen. 

Later in the morning we passed a very pretty pen- 
insula, mostly of rock formation, the most prominent 
part being round and extending far out into the water. 
Both shores were now in view and along one were great 
pieces of ice. 

A short time before reaching Saint Michael we be- 
held an iceberg, though not a very large one. Seldom 
do pictures give us so clear a conception that we really 
seem to see the original but I think I had formed in my 
childish mind years ago a rather accurate idea of how 
an iceberg looked from the pictures in the Geography 
and Gazetteer — that morning was the first time I had 
ever seen one and yet it was just what I thought an ice- 
berg was. 

Just at noon we arrived at Saint Michael though 
we did not land, but cast anchor, and remained out at 
sea. • The company had no wharf and there were great 
huge holders on the shore extending away out into the 



IN TEE FAB NORTE 105 

bay and upon our arrival the wind was so high that the 
boat would have been damaged on these, had she gone 
ashore. 

Here we changed our time, turning it back two 
hours and a half. We had daylight all night — though 
the sun set a little earlier and the nights were not quite 
so bright. 

During the last part of our journey we saw the hull 
of an old ship which was pointed out to us as the re- 
mains of a war ship of the Russians from one of their 
battles in the early days. 



The Fifteen Days (3nch)ored on Behring 
Sea. 



WE were on the Arnold for ten days after we 
reached Saint Michael, awaiting an ocean 
steamer to sail to Seattle and during this 
time there were many vessels on the waters 
— schooners, brigs, whalers, river boats, tugs and ocean 
steamers — of the last named there were a number — sev- 
eral quite small android, poorly built affairs. 

Saint Michael is rather a pretty place built upon a 
sloping embankment with no very high mountains near 
it. Much of it is swampy and it rains there nearly all 
the time. Here a radius of one hundred miles was laid 
off for a government reservation and nearly seventy-five 
soldiers were stationed here. 

The population of the place consisted mostly of the 
natives, the employes of the three stores and the sol- 
diers. When the sun shone, which was not more than 
two or three days during the fortnight, Saint Michael 
was endurable, but the most of the time with the wind 
and rain it was the dreariest, loneliest, darkest place I 
ever saw. The days we spent there though somewhat 
interesting, were also tedious, for we were anxious to 
reach home. 

The several companies had settled some distance 
from each other and there was quite a stretch of vacant 
land between them. 

We went on shore nearly every day either in small 
106 



I IT THE FAB NOBTH 107 

rowboats or in the little steam tug — we walked through 
the Indian encampment and stepped into several of the 
neatest homes and looked at their work and curious. 

Many of their huts were closed and the Indians were 
off on a long hunt. 

We enjoyed walking along the beach, picking up the 
small shells in the sand though we found no very pretty 
ones, just the ordinary small shells. The sand differed 
greatly in the different parts of the country from the 
finest of almost white to coarse, black pebble-like 
sand. 

Each company had very nice stores and boarding 
houses for their employes. We called at the A. C. 
hotel, on the wife of the United States Custom officer 
whom we had met through her niece, Mrs. F., a fellow 
passenger on both the Arnold and the Roanoke, and her 
rooms would have been a pleasant surprise to many. 
They were nicely furnished — you might say luxuriously 
so. A variety of pretty flowers were in bloom in differ- 
ent rustic effects — some native and others grown from 
seeds, while the native fern was growing in profusion 
in pretty jardiniers and pots placed here and there. 

Perhaps the most novel experience of our stay in 
Saint Michael was on the afternoon that we went on a 
whaler. Two of the gentlemen from the Arnold took 
us across the sea in one of the life-boats, and we accom- 
plished the wonderful feat of climbing up a rope ladder, 
twenty feet high into one of the huge iron-clad whalers. 
At least it seemed wonderful to me though it was noth- 
ing for a sailor. 

We were most agreeably entertained by Captain C. 
and his wife and daughter. The latter rendered some 
sweet music which was the first piano playing we had 
heard for months. 



108 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

We spent a pleasant and interesting afternoon in their 
little salon and saw a number of curious from Japan, 
where they had passed the winter, as well as some ivory 
pieces carved by the Indians and Eskimos. We took 
great pleasure looking over the skins of the white polar 
bear and red and white fox and purchased some of 
the latter. We went on deck to see the great lot of 
whale bones they had there — two thousand pounds 
taken from one whale — I had never seen the whale bone 
just as it was taken from the whale before. It was in im- 
mensely long pieces differing in width from several 
inches to much greater, and one side was thick while 
the other was much thinner from which there fringed 
small particles, hairy in effect. 

Our ride over to the whaler was in a life-boat as I 
stated before, and some might have felt that we were im- 
periled somewhat, for though we started on a calm sea, 
we had been upon the water but a short time when the 
weather changed, the sky darkened and the wind arose, 
but our boat was large and strong and we had a good 
oarsmen. Right well it rode the turbulent waves. Oh! 
it was jolly, good fun ! And how I enjoyed being 
tossed high upon one wave only to meet another as we 
descended the first, and again to feel myself borne high 
in the air, from which elevation the white-capped Beh- 
ring was pretty to behold. Our friends assured us that 
we were safer in this little life boat than we were on the 
steam-boat, which was too large to ride the waves nice- 
ly. So I gave myself up to the delight I felt, though I 
well knew with what trepidation and anxiety my mother 
would have looked at me, could she have seen me thus 
tossed by wind and wave upon the billowy deep. 

We returned in the little steam tug, which was un- 
doubtedly wise, as the waters were growing rougher and 






IHT THE FAR NORTH 109 

the waves were tossing higher and higher. It was won- 
derful to see the Behring Sea change from calm to tur- 
bulent waters, sometimes within a quarter of an hour. 
Some evenings we would retire with quietness around us 
to awaken in the morning on rough and angry waters, or 
lay ourselves down at night midst the battle of wind 
and wave and arise next morning to view a serenely 
placid sea. 

As an example I give below notes from my diary 
expressive of these changes : 

"Saturday, June twenty-fourth. Rainy. A dismal 
windy day. The Behring Sea is transformed from the 
dream of last night into a howling hades, and though 
we are not out on deck, the constant swaying of the 
boat and now and then the spinning of it around tells us 
of the tumult on the outside. There are fifty or more 
vessels anchored out at sea today." 
The following day I wrote : 

"Sunday, June twenty -fifth. Bright and clear. The 
last I knew last night was the mad tossing of the waves 
that rolled me from side to side, and when I opened my 
eyes this morning it was in the delight and pleasure of 
the sunshine, a lovely Sabbath morning." Shortly after 
on the same day I made this note : "Now the wind dis- 
turbs the water and the calm surface of early morn is 
gone. The sunshine has left us and it is dark and 
cloudy. It is beginning to rain and the wind blows fur- 
iously, waters very rough." 

One evening, in particular, the waters were espec- 
ially quiet ; the sea appeared a lake, sheeny and brilliant 
on its mirrored surface from the bright rays of the sun. 
Mr. B., one of the officers of the ship, had told us 
of an old man who was connected with the company and 
whose barge was anchored on the sea at that time, 



110 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

whom he knew we would enjoy meeting. This particu- 
larly pleasant evening the captain and he asked if we 
would not enjoy rowing over there, to which we gladly 
assented, and in five minutes we were being rowed 
across to see this interesting old man and the work 
of his hands, for he could do almost anything. He was 
born in Greece and had been a sea-faring man all his 
life. 

"We soon reached the old barge and were quite sur- 
prised, upon being taken on board, to find such nice 
quarters. The old man was delighted to receive ladies 
in his neat bachelor apartments. ■ Quite proudly, and 
justly so, did he show us around, first taking us to his 
pilot house which was scrupulously clean and painted in 
blue and cream ; then we were shown the kitchen and 
culinary department, where everything was in place, 
after which our woman's nature was best pleased in 
looking at the very beautiful silk embroidery this old 
man had done, undervests of flannel finished at the neck 
with dainty and skillful embroidery. And lastly he 
showed us a sailor's canvass compartment trunk of his 
own make and design. He thought of having it patent- 
ed and it was surely worthy of it, for it was a unique 
and convenient arrangement made of such heavy canvas 
that it was almost water-proof. At least it would have 
to lay in the water for hours before it could be penetrat- 
ed by it. He used nothing but a large needle beside 
the canvas, even the thread he used was unravelled 
from the canvas. 

During our visit he spoke touchingly of his wife 
and family from whom he was separated so much of the 
time. He offered us some refreshment and soon we bade 
him good-bye, thanking him for his hospitality, and en- 
joyed the row back over the quiet sea. 



IN THE FAR NORTH 111 

Several days previous both the Garonne and the 
Roanoke had come in, but expected to remain several 
days unloading and filling their passenger list, so there 
was no need of haste in engaging passage on either 
of them. 

But on Thursday, June twenty-seventh, we went 
over and engaged passage on the Roanoke. This ship 
is said to have the record of making the best time of 
any and is among the finest that ply the waters between 
San Francisco and Seattle, and Saint Michael. She is 
a beautifully appointed vessel, prettily furnished and 
finely decorated. 

The next day we went on board the Roanoke. We 
expected to leave on Sunday night, but there were boats 
expected down the river on which were passengers 
booked for the Roanoke. So our departure from Saint 
Michael was still delayed. 

Our trip down river took eight days and then 
we had spent ten days more on the Arnold after our ar- 
rival, and in these eighteen days we had known some 
very pleasant people whom we regretted leaving. And 
when we went aboard the Roanoke we knew of no one of 
our friends or acquaintances on board ship, but later we 
were agreeably surprised to find that there were several 
we had known in Dawson and had entertained in 
our home. 

They had left Dawson two weeks after we did and 
yet took passage on the same ship. Often people hasti- 
ly made up their minds to return to their homes, busi- 
ness suddenly calling them, or a great desire to see 
their dear ones. 

Among other friends were one of the Sergeants of 
the N. W. M. P., and Mrs. H., a cultured Welsh 
woman, with whom I was glad again to meet. 



112 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

These introduced others, and so we had a pleasant 
little clique, in which we moved and enjoyed ourselves 
in our voyage on the briny deep. 

For though one is fascinated in watching the great 
waves for hours — yet a pleasant chat with friends helps 
to pass away time that otherwise might prove .a trifle 
monotonous. 

The six days that we were on the Roanoke prior to 
our departure were spent much as the previous ten days 
were. 

The steam tug, "The Saint Michael," took us to 
and fro, we took quite an interest watching the various 
vessels constantly coming and going on St. Michael's 
Bay, and had another delightful little visit on the 
whaler. 

There was a great rush just at this time for Cape 
Nome, and every boat that came down the river was 
crowded with passengers en route to the new gold fields. 

At twelve o'clock, midnight, July 4th, the whistle 
from the different vessels were blown all over the sea, 
shouts were heard from one ship to another, and the jolly 
patriotic songs rang out over the deep, blue sea in cele- 
bration of that day when we first had our independence. 

One especially pleasant evening we saw a fine mirage 
of the mountains from one thousand to fifteen hundred 
miles away, so clear was the atmosphere. 

At nine p. m. Thursday, July 6th, we embarked on 
our voyage which took us eleven days to sail from St. 
Michael to Seattle. 




2 M 



W 8 

Si 

Oh 



pron) St. Michael to Dutch Harbor. 



THE evening we left Saint Michael it had been 
cool and cloudy all day but towards evening it 
had cleared and we had fair sailing that night, 
though it was quite foggy toward dawn and 
during the early morn, which lessened our speed to ten 
miles an hour. Later the morning was lovely, the sea calm 
and beautiful, the deep blue green of which contrasted 
with the white foam of the water made by the motion of 
the ship, and our ship fairly flew in the bright sun- 
shine. 

A day or two before we left Saint Michael there 
were a number of persons brought on board the Roanoke 
who were either sick or crippled and the government 
was sending them to their homes One was so weak he 
was helpless — he had suffered with scurvy until his 
physical powers were almost paralyzed and he was car- 
ried aboard the ship — the next day he died and there 
was a midnight burial. A short service was held, a few 
verses were read, and a prayer was given over the re- 
mains of the poor unfortunate. Then as the words 
"Nearer my God to Thee" were sung,allthat was mortal 
of "Some Mother's Boy" was gently lowered into the 
sea. The weirdness and sadness of this midnight burial 
at sea, the first I had ever known, still affects me, and 
the sweet strains- of that old-fashioned hymn seems again 
to be heard sailing on the waters of the Behring Sea. 
One of the passengers on our ship wrote the follow- 
113 



114 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

ing poem in memory of the one, whose remains were low- 
ered at the midnight hour into the deep : 

THE MINEE'S LAST TRAIL. 

'Tis midnight! Across the dark ocean 
The boom of the ship's bell is heard 
And out of the darkness in answer 
Comes the cry of the wild sea bird. 

In the gangway a form once so stalwart 
Lies wrapped in a dark winding sheet, 
While a pall — 'tis the flag of his country 
Hides the heavy round shot at his feet. 

No more he'll stampede o'er the snow and the ice, 

For poor Ben's reached the end of life's trail. 

He has crossed the dark threshold whence no man returns, 

And his funeral dirge is a gale. 

A sob and a tear from his comrade, 
A low prayer, then a splash, and 'tis o'er, 
While in far off Missouri his children 
Mourn a father they'll never see more. 

No stone marks the brave miner's last resting place, 
On his grave no sweet flowers ever bloom, 
But God knows the spot where slumbers the dead 
In the cold Northern ocean's deep gloom. 

The days passed pleasantly, walking and talking out 
on deck, or sitting and reading. A part of the time was 
spent in the social hall reading, chatting, or listening to 
the music that several of the passengers rendered. 

The first twenty-four hours we had traveled more 
than three hundred miles toward our destination. Quite 
a great deal of the time we were attended by fogs and 
clouds — sometimes rain — which of course kept us from 
swift sailing. Saturday was cloudy and windy though 
the waters were comparatively smooth. The walk on 
deck was not so much enjoyed, still I wrapped up well 
and remained out quite a great deal. The fog horn was 
blown every few minutes lest in the dense fog our ship 



IN THE FAR NORTH 115 

and another would collide. During the night the Charles 
Nelson had passed us bound for Saint Michael, towing 
two barges. 

Sunday was still, cool and foggy, so much so our 
course was unknown, though we were nearing Dutch 
Harbor. The sea was a little rough. Later it cleared 
and we passed within view of the grandest and most 
beautiful of scenery, just as we came into the entrance 
of Dutch Harbor. A lovely spot in nature ! Standing 
forth in prominence was a mighty consolidation called 
"Priest Rock." The name is of legendary origin which 
brings to us a tale of the early times that this recluse 
far from the world at large has been guarded all these 
years since its troubles by this sentinel — which is said 
to be a priest turned to stone and indeed so it seemed, 
and it added a dignity to the already imposing entrance 
to Dutch Harbor. Nothing had I ever seen on land or 
mountain scenery that excelled the view we had as we 
sailed into the Harbor — indeed I feel it was unequalled. 
Great lofty, picturesque mountains, alternately barren 
and green, the former though very attractive in their old 
gray appearances, which were enhanced by contrast to 
the green of the latter ; now and then snow clad moun- 
tains intervening. 

A grand and imposing harbor into one of the 
loveliest spots on earth ! As I shut my eyes now I 
again seem to see that vision of almost unparalleled beauty 
— and now and then it appears like a cyclorama of na- 
ture, on which I gaze in admiring silence — the deep blue 
sea so calm and still and the valley of the harbor in the 
center. Surrounding these majestically rose the vari- 
ously beautiful mountains of snow, and rock, and ver- 
dure, enveloped in that atmospheric blue that" distance 
lends to scenery. The lofty peaks of which tower toward 



116 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

the heavens of blue from which the white, fluffy clouds 
hang down low over these mountains, concealing a part 
of them and adding an attraction to the scene ; while 
above all this the sun shines in his glory, giving a 
touch of color and perfecting this beautiful picture. 

We went into port at two-thirty and spent the after- 
noon looking around, walking about and picking flowers. 
Though there is a great profusion of flowers at Dutch 
Harbor, the place is entirely devoid of trees — of the for- 
mer the violet is especially worthy of mention — of a lit- 
tle larger variety than ours and with the same sweet 
odor. We just revelled in picking these, gathering im- 
mense bouquets of them that we saved until we reached 
Seattle — in fact a few remained fresh even after we got 
to the hotel. 

Sweet clover is also found in this Eden spot of the 
North — the leaf of which is large and beautiful — of a 
light pea-green and it had a delicate odor. Some of both 
of these we pressed. In fact we began in Lindermann 
in May ninety-eight to press all varieties of flowers, 
and the colored plates here-in placed are exact copies of 
nature. The next morning we went over to Unalaska — 
about two miles from Dutch Harbor. Our friend, Dr. 
F., from Minneapolis, went with us and our merry, lit- 
tle party spent a most enjoyable morning, looking at 
the Greek Church and at the the many curios and skins 
in the small stores and the place in general. Here we 
refreshed ourselves with a drink of real milk, for 
which we only paid ten cents a glass. The two places 
are separated by a walk of about one mile and a half 
and a small lake over which we were ferried by a boy 
for the sum of ten cents apiece. 

We returned from this trip just in time for lunch — 
after which we again went out, this time to walk along 





KLONDYKE FLOWKRS. 



IN THE FAB NORTH 117 

the beach and hunt for the pretty sea urchins and 
shell. 

We walked a long distance down the beach but 
finding no very pretty shells, we retraced our steps, a 
part of the way and went over a mountain on the other 
side of which we again came to the sea — and along 
this beach we found the prettiest kind of different col- 
ored sea-urchins and a number of very dainty colored 
shells. By this time the rain had descended on us and 
our escort called out to our chaperon, "Come on Mrs. 
H., we had better go back to the ship, or you all will 
get wet" but we heeded him not for we were having too 
much pleasure in the novelty of picking up the pretty 
things we found on the shores of the Behring Sea. And 
on we walked in the pattering rain with no umbrellas to 
protect us. Again our friend called to us to hasten and 
laughingly we told him that we would excuse him — at 
which he started toward the ship, but finally waited for 
us. We picked up oyster shells and pieces of lobsters, 
and a number of other interesting things. I found one 
particularly pretty shell of a dainty pink coloring and 
to which a large piece of sea-weed clung. I dried it in 
that state and still have the shell with the sea-weed at- 
tached to it. 

I thought the exquisite coloring of the sea-urchins 
a thing to most admire — after the tide had washed 
and beaten these delicate things around and in this way 
had cleansed them from all animal matter they were 
very pretty to look upon. They were variously colored 
—many pure white — others from the lightest of olive 
tints to the deepest, and in lovely heliotrope shadings — 
many of these were broken from being dashed on the 
beach, though others were not and they seemed more 
like pieces of delicate china than shells. It seem- 



118 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

ed marvelous that all were not broken on the rocky 
beach where the tidal waves recklessly threw them. At 
last we had more than we could carry and yet we had a 
childish reluctance in leaving, but tired nature and a 
good wetting persuaded us that it was time to return to 
the ship. 

As we walked. along the beach Miss S. found a 
jelly fish or a part of one — and of course we had to get 
a stick and poke at it and found much interest in this. 
A most peculiar fish it was that at times seems to have 
the perfect form of a star-shaped body of a yellow col- 
or — then is suddenly transformed into a round trans- 
parent one — both of these are of a jelly substance and 
this transformation seems to be merely an expansion 
and contraction of the body — the yellow star-shaped 
body is never lost however, only drawn within the round 
one where in the center of the latter it may still be seen 
of smaller size. We got back to the ship a wearied and 
wet but thoroughly delighted little party and immedi- 
ately repaired to our staterooms to divest ourselves of 
the wet garments and don dry ones. 

The next day we had another pleasant walk and 
hunt for flowers and shells and in the afternoon ic rain- 
ed. Captain C's. whaler was in the harbor there also, 
so the ladies came aboard our ship and we spent a 
pleasant afternoon in the social hall with music and con- 
versation. 

Several volcanoes were pointed out to us while we 
were at the Harbor, two of which were active and from 
out of these came smoke curling upward and mingling 
with the low overhanging clouds. There is an island 
near Dutch Harbor where the white and red foxes are 
raised. 

That evening we sailed from Dutch Harbor where 



IN THE FAR NORTH 119 

we had been two days to load the ship with coal — the 
latter is found quite a great deal in Alaska and the 
North West Territory. 

As we reluctantly sailed away from this grand old 
harbor I steadfastly gazed, long and lingeringly upon 
the beautiful picture of sky and earth and sea that it 
might be so distinctly and so vividly imprinted upon 
my mind that the impression would live always in my 
memory and never be effaced. 

As the lofty mountains with their mantles of green 
and gray and white, amidst the low overhanging clouds, 
were touched by the last rays of the sun, the brightness 
of which had been denied us earlier in the day, and as 
they receded from our view, I felt that I had enjoyed 
the grandest mountain scenery perhaps possible, and 
that this little spot, Dutch Harbor, which I had studied 
and read of all my life, was a veritable Eden with its 
profusion of violets and sweet clover and numerous 
other flowers. 

A few miles took us through the pass and at last we 
were sailing on the broad ocean. 




Th)e Oceao Voyage. 



OUR voyage so far had been extremely pleasant, 
we had been blessed with a smooth sea upon 
waters that are much dreaded in times of 
storm, for the rough and tempest-tossed waves 
of the Behring Sea are of wide-spread note, but now we 
could scarcely hope to be again favored, and yet we were. 
We left Dutch Harbor on Tuesday evening and the 
only sea-sickness I felt was upon the following Thurs- 
day and Friday, and then most of the time I was not 
very sick, just enough so to feel less humorous and not 
as much like laughing as usual. I was out on deck 
walking most of the time and enjoyed the ocean very 
much and as I watched the great body heave I recalled 
the lines that seem so true : 

•'The ocean old, 
Centuries old, 
Strong as youth, 
And as uncontrolled," 

and thought of the power and might of his strength, 
which could be quelled by but One Master. On 
Thursday the sun shone bright and clear and the waves 
were beautiful, so entirely different in their coloring in 
sunshine and in shade though yet at both times lovely, 
and perhaps more fascinating under the rays of the sun, 
yet were they -very attractive in the deeply, darkly, som- 
berly blue of cloudy days. 

Our nights were very dark and foggy and the days 
also were attended by dense fog some of the time. Two 
120 




<& a 



IN THE FAR NORTH 121 

of the nights in particular, were so dark and foggy that 
we anchored for a short time. We heard the dismal 
sound of the fog-horn every three minutes and you could 
but have a feeling of awe and trust toward the All Pow- 
erful Being without which a positive fear would have 
possessed you, when you realized how dark and foggy 
the night, and that you were upon the mighty deep. 

Then also we had so watchful and efficient a cap- 
tain, as well as first officer, that we felt comparatively 
easy. Captain W. never Wt his post of duty, but 
earnestly watched the whole night long on those dark 
and foggy nights. 

One evening I stood out on deck and looked with 
interest and delight upon the phosphorescent wake of 
the ship in the water, brilliantly contrasting with the 
deep darkness above and below. 

We saw several schools of whales and one day we 
had the opportunity of seeing one of those great water 
animals not far from the ship throw a fountain of water 
high into the air as he gave forth a deep breath. 

At all times the waters were beautiful to behold. 
When rough there were the numberless white caps that 
spread over the surface of the great ocean and made a 
pretty fascinating picture as they were tossed hither 
and thither by the deep swells of the waves. And when 
the sun shone bright and clear, the blue-green of the 
waters changed by the motion of the vessel into a pecu- 
liar light Nile green that was so lovely, intermingled 
with the white foam — and much like the waters of 
the Mediterranean Sea from what I have heard and 
read. 

On Monday, the seventeenth of July, we were near 
ing our destination. In the early part of the day we 
were in a dense fog, which was lifted and at twelve the 



122 SUNSHINE AND SHADE 

sun was shining brightly and after about five days sail- 
ing out of sighc of land, we now came in sight of it. 

Soon we saw land on either side, American soil on 
one shore and Canadian on the other. 

Port Townsend later came in view, a picturesquely 
located town, the business portion of which lay along 
the water front, while the residences extended back 
upon a sloping plateau that had a commanding view of 
Puget Sound and the surrounding country. Several 
beautiful government buildings stand out in prominence 
upon the highest portion. Port Townsend has an 
especially beautiful harbor with water of enough 
depth and width to allow the largest ocean steamers to 
land. 

And now indeed we felt that our voyage was almost 
over. And upon this last evening the sun set clear, 
soon the moon cast her radiance over the smooth waters, 
so calm and beautiful, and as we sailed along the lights 
of Seattle came into sight. 

As our steamer sailed into port, we all stood out on 
deck enjoying the bright moonlight reflected on the wa- 
ters, and the pretty view of the city twinkling with its 
electric lights. A number of boats were upon the waters, 
and from one large steamer came sweet strains of music, 
welcoming the returned Klondykers. 

Left alone for a few minutes my heart welled with 
thankfulness to God that we had been spared to return 
from so long and perilous a journey, and one which had 
given me so much pleasure and knowledge. 

Ere I slept that night, after being driven to the 
hotel, I wired my loved ones and found that all was well 
at home. 

And now that the facilities of travel have pro- 
gressed and the trip can be made entirely by steam and 



IN THE FAR NORTH 123 

rail, many tourists will undoubtedly make this journey, 
though a summer trip will not give them all the pleas- 
ure to be enjoyed. 

In conclusion I wish to again express the pleasure 
that this trip has given me, and to state that the hard- 
ships of the journey and the trials of the climate were 
naught compared to the pleasure and delightful experi- 
ences I had. I sojourned in the north one year, though 
I was gone from my home eighteen months — had a 
most delightful trip into the interior of Alaska and a 
more charming one out of it — I was under an Arctic sky 
during the four seasons, and equally enjoyed, 

"The freshness, the nutter, the ripple of Spring 

And Summer's broad glow and grave Autumn bedight 

In his tarnished gold russet, then bareness and white 

And the clasp of the sweet home in the long Winter's night" 

Yet of all the beautiful things I saw, of all the 
lovely views I enjoyed, of all the delightful knowledge 
I have obtained, there are three things that stand out 
paramount from all others, and in the years that come 
and go, there are three visions which in delight shall be 
most often recalled and they are the gorgeous sunsets 
of an Arctic sky, the brilliant Aurora Borealis of the 
North, and Dutch Harbor, that cyclorama of marvelous 
beauty of mountain, of sky, and sea. 



THE END. 



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